Des Collins, senior partner at Collins Solicitors and adviser to more than 1,500 victims of the infected blood scandal, says it is time for the Government to "stop dragging its feet". 

Mr Collins was speaking ahead of a House of Commons debate and vote today (June 22) when MPs are expected to call on the Government to expedite the issue of compensation to infected blood victims

“We are grateful to those who have masterminded this debate and continue to keep a spotlight on this issue," he said.

"All pressure that can be put on the Government to do the right thing by infected blood victims is not only welcome but necessary. Because the Government continues to drag its feet, bury its head in the sand, procrastinate, obfuscate and, frankly, behave reprehensibly to the infected blood community."

“Despite the inquiry chair Sir Brian Langstaff recommending over 12 weeks ago that interim payments of £100,000 should be made immediately to those excluded from last October’s payments, nothing has happened.

"Instead, we have had leaked reports that the Treasury, Department of Health and Whitehall are worried about compensation costs.

“The point is that if the Government had acknowledged its mistakes sooner, the question of compensation wouldn’t be arising during a cost-of-living crisis.

"And compensating infected blood victims and their families is not a ‘nice to have’ or in any way a windfall for them, but essential given the health related, emotional and financial hardship they have experienced over decades, due to the negligence of Government officials.

“Speaking at the Infected Blood Inquiry last year, in his then capacity of former Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt said it should be seen as a ‘huge failing of democracy’ that victims had waited so long for justice.

"He was also one of several former Health Secretaries who called for immediate payments to victims. How ironic that now he is Chancellor he doesn’t seem to be willing to deal with the issue.

“The Government has had ample warning to be ready to respond and act on Sir Brian’s recommendations which are virtually identical to those set out in the compensation framework study they commissioned from Sir Robert Francis and which they have had since March 2022.

"The infected blood community’s trust in the Government to act responsibility is now at an all-time low. Let’s hope the Government heeds the call from MPs tomorrow and comes out from under its log.

“The debate is welcome. But as ever, what we really need is action not words.”

The Infected Blood Inquiry, chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff, is the UK's largest ever statutory inquiry, established to investigate how men women and children were given infected blood and blood products by the NHS from the 1970s.

Following an intervention by Sir Brian (before his final Inquiry Report), the Government made interim payments of £100,00 last October to those victims of the infected blood scandal still alive and a small number of widows.

This left other victims of the scandal such as orphans and relatives still in limbo. 

On April 5, 2023, Sir Brian published his Second Interim Report recommending that interim payments of £100,000 should be made in respect of deaths not yet recognised to "alleviate immediate suffering".

His report said: "These interim payments should be capable of being made through the support schemes after registration and of being achieved reasonably quickly. They can and should be achievable before the compensation scheme itself is operational." There has been no official Government response to this to date."