Yesterday, the chairs of three haemophilia societies—Bill Wright of Haemophilia Scotland, Clive Smith of the Haemophilia Society, and Nigel Hamilton of Haemophilia NI—once again wrote to John Glen MP, the UK Paymaster General, expressing concerns about the announcement of a planned fact-finding tour to meet with those infected and affected by the contaminated blood scandal.
Earlier this month, Penny Mordaunt, Leader of the House, unveiled Mr Glen’s proposed tour to MPs, detailing plans for 25 nationwide meetings. However, thus far, no information on the exact purpose of these visits has been provided.
The joint letter to Mr Glen underscores the urgent need for clarity on the government’s plan for compensation and highlights key questions that must be answered prior to any meetings taking place. These questions include more detailed information about the government’s plan for delivering compensation, the expected timeline for implementation of this plan, the role and transparency of the recently announced expert advisory group chaired by Professor Sir Jonathan Montgomery, and the scope and timeframe for this group to report back to the government.
Furthermore, the letter highlights the wealth of information already available through the Infected Blood Inquiry itself, which has received over 4,000 written statements and heard from 370 witnesses.
Despite the urgency conveyed by Sir Langstaff’s recommendations within his second interim report published almost one year ago on 5th April 2023, the government has continued to maintain its stance to wait until the publication of the inquiry’s final report in May 2024 before responding, leaving affected individuals and families in a constant state of uncertainty.
The letter can be read in full here.
Articles on the previous correspondence with Mr John Glen can be found here and here.