Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of the (a) establishment and (b) ongoing administration of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office will lay IBCA's annual reports and accounts before Parliament in the usual way. The Cabinet Office will expect to be consulted by IBCA where there is a risk that IBCA will breach its administrative cost controls, or vary significantly from the agreed business plan.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the funding allocated to the Infected Blood Compensation Authority is drawn from the £11.8 billion set aside by the Government for infected blood compensation or provided from a separate budget.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
In the Autumn Budget, the Government announced £11.8 billion in compensation to people who were infected and affected as a result of the Infected Blood scandal.
This is separate to the funding allocated to the administrative costs of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the equality impact assessments undertaken in relation to the development of regulations on infected blood compensation.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Regulations 2025 Equalities Impact Assessment can be found here:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2025/9780348268843/pdfs/ukdsipes_9780348268843_en_001.pdf.
Asked by: Tracy Gilbert (Labour - Edinburgh North and Leith)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that crypto asset businesses have access to banking systems.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is aware that cryptoasset firms are facing challenges associated with access to banking services, and it is engaged with the sector on these matters.
Whilst the Government recognises that access to banking decisions are largely commercial in nature, we expect business to be treated fairly. That is why the Government has already taken action in this space, including bringing forward legislation to enhance relevant protections in cases where a business has their bank account terminated by their provider.
The Government is also currently finalising legislation to create a financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets in the UK. Under this regime, firms will need to be licensed by the FCA to provide relevant cryptoasset services in or to the UK, and the Government would not expect such licensed firms to be subject to restrictions by banking services providers simply because of the sector they belong to.