More Blood Victims Will Die Without Compensation - Minister

More victims of nan infected humor ungraded will dice without ever receiving compensation, a authorities curate has said.

The paymaster wide Nick Thomas-Symonds was giving grounds to a typical convention of nan nationalist enquiry into what's been called nan worst curen disaster successful NHS history.

It's thought 30,000 patients successful nan UK were infected pinch HIV aliases hepatitis B and C aft being treated pinch a contaminated humor clotting merchandise aliases fixed a humor transfusion successful nan 1970s and 80s.

Mr Thomas-Symonds agreed it was "profoundly unsatisfactory" that conscionable 106 last compensation awards person been paid, almost a twelvemonth aft a damning study into nan ungraded was published.

"I'm ne'er going to deliberation this is satisfactory until everybody has received nan compensation that is due," nan paymaster wide said.

"The nonsubjective should beryllium perfectly to salary [people] arsenic soon arsenic possible."

A last study into nan scandal, published past year, recovered that nan disaster could mostly person been avoided if different decisions had been taken by nan wellness authorities astatine nan time.

The study said excessively small was done to extremity nan importing of contaminated humor products from overseas successful nan 1970s and 80s, and location was grounds that nan wellness authorities covered up elements of nan scandal.

Last period nan chair of nan nationalist inquiry, Sir Brian Langstaff, ordered 2 days of other hearings aft he received "letter aft letter, email aft email" expressing concerns astir nan measurement nan government's compensation strategy has been managed.

The Chancellor Rachel Reeves group speech £11.8bn successful nan past fund to make last awards to victims and their family members, but nan latest figures show little than 1% of that total, immoderate £97m, has been paid retired to date.

Survivors of nan ungraded and immoderate bereaved relatives person besides received a bid of interim compensation payments complete nan past 3 years.

Eleven victims and their representatives gave grounds successful an affectional sheet convention successful beforehand of an assemblage of astir 300 group successful Westminster.

Andrew Evans, chair of nan run group Tainted Blood, told nan proceeding galore victims and their families had been near emotion "betrayed and disappointed".

"People person fixed up connected immoderate anticipation of receiving anything," he said.

"They person mislaid each dream of ever getting justness and we can't beryllium doing this for overmuch longer."

Other witnesses criticised nan measurement that individuals were being contacted and "invited" to travel guardant to declare last compensation, describing it arsenic "waiting for your lottery summons to travel up".

Gary Webster, a haemophiliac who was infected pinch HIV and hepatitis C erstwhile a pupil astatine Treloar's School successful Hampshire successful nan 1970s and 80s, said that "[some] group will not get their compensation and a batch of claims will dice pinch them."

"It's conscionable excessively slow and group won't get nan justness they deserve," he added.

Under nan existent rules, if personification infected pinch HIV aliases hepatitis B aliases C dies earlier receiving afloat compensation, past immoderate last grant tin beryllium passed connected to their relatives done their estate.

But compensation tin besides beryllium claimed by those affected by nan ungraded – a partner, genitor of a kid aliases sibling, for illustration – for nan abstracted effect connected their lives.

And if they dice earlier that compensation is agreed, past their declare will dice pinch them and cannot beryllium passed on.

In questioning later successful nan day, Mr Thomas-Symonds, who leads connected nan consequence for nan Cabinet Office, said he was "restless for further advancement connected payments".

The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA), an independent assemblage group up to salary victims of nan scandal, has said it believes nan "bulk" of awards will beryllium made to infected survivors by nan extremity of 2027 pinch astir of those affected, specified arsenic family members and carers, paid by nan extremity of 2029.

Mr Thomas-Symonds said he regarded that timeline arsenic a "backstop" alternatively than a target to activity towards.

"The logic for that is location whitethorn beryllium different group who person not yet travel guardant astatine this shape [to claim]," he said.

"I've ne'er been thing but clear they are absolute backstops and I expect these to velocity up [in nan future]."