Des Collins, Senior Partner of Collins Solicitors (and adviser to some 1500 victims and families involved in the infected blood scandal) has the following comment further to the debate in the House of Commons this morning

“Today’s debate was more of the same.

Whilst we welcome the Parliamentary time devoted to the issues and commitment of new MPs to doing the right thing by the community, once again it was ‘jaw-jaw’ and talk of action-behind- the-scenes, with little transparency.

Sadly, regarding details of the promised compensation scheme, our clients must be patient a little longer. We look forward to ‘The Regulations’ being published on this by 24 August.

We hope the requested September debate on Inquiry Findings happens.

We welcome the proposed Hillsborough Law on a duty of candour for civil servants, although this will take time to implement.

It was good to hear memorials for victims remain on the agenda.

The positive is that infected blood has transitioned to the new Government’s priority list. It is clear, however, that the civil servants working on deliverables will continue to move at their own version of ‘pace’ to enact these. “

ENDS

Media requests can be made via Collins’ PR firm Bell Yard Communications: BellYard@bell-yard.com: BellYard@bell-yard.com

Notes for editors:

The Infected Blood Inquiry, chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff, was the UK’s largest ever statutory inquiry. It began in July 2018 to examine the circumstances in which patients treated by the NHS in the 1970s and 80s became infected with HIV and Hepatitis due to treatment involving infected blood products. The Inquiry Final Report was published on 20.5.2024.
******************