You may be aware that the Inquiry Chair, Sir Brian Langstaff, has taken the rare step of reopening his Inquiry to invite legal and community representatives to share with him our experiences of working with the Infected Blood Compensation Authority and various government officials, as we seek to secure accurate and fair compensation for those affected by this scandal.

The announcement of two new hearing dates (7&8 May) is best explained by Sir Brian:

“The decision to hold hearings has not been taken lightly. It reflects the gravity of the concerns expressed consistently, and repeatedly, to the Inquiry. These merit exploration in public. People infected and affected do not have time on their side. Our goal is to be constructive and to identify what actions can be taken by the Government and Infected Blood Compensation Authority to address the concerns, and help them gain the trust of those who have had to wait many decades for recognition and compensation.”

Your lack of trust, frustration and feelings of despair regarding the process of achieving compensation, particularly after such a long wait for recognition, has not gone unnoticed by the Inquiry.

We sought Sir Brian’s support and welcome his decision to hold these new hearings. Dani Holliday from our firm has already submitted our collective evidence of our dealings with the IBCA and the Cabinet Office and we know these observations will form part of the questioning of Government officials and the IBCA witnesses at these evidence sessions next month.
Frustratingly there has been a lack of desire on the part of the Government and IBCA to work with us, and other registered legal representatives, who each seek the optimal outcomes for our respective clients. As you know we have long-held and detailed knowledge of the situations affecting our clients and this familiarity should be of considerable benefit to those administering the compensation scheme. We therefore have outlined to Sir Brian our residual concerns over the IBCA’s guidance to the community on access to legal advice.
We know you will appreciate that the compensation process will require staged resolution of individual claims, given the numbers and individual complexities involved but, in our view, and one we know is shared by many of you, the process is nonetheless too cumbersome, too opaque and too slowly administered.

According to figures compiled last month, while 255 people have been invited by the Authority to apply to its compensation scheme since October 2024, only 63 people have received their compensation.

That said, we remain hopeful that Sir Brian’s continued determination to ensure the community receives meaningful redress that is compassionately delivered in an orderly and timely manner means that the hearings will result in a more efficient compensation process than we have seen to date, with the community benefitting from access to proper legal support to guide you through this challenging process. Collins Solicitors will remain by your side until your justice is served.

Meantime, we wish you all a peaceful and pleasant Easter break.