Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with the HSC Business Services Organisation on ensuring effective provision of financial support for people in Northern Ireland affected by contaminated blood; and whether he plans to establish a point of appeal for people in all parts of the UK.
A review of the payment schemes put in place to support people historically infected with hepatitis C and/or HIV from National Health Service blood or blood products and their families has been carried out. It was agreed that a single payments scheme should be set up in each of the devolved administrations for those infected in that country and all beneficiaries of the former schemes have been informed of which of the new schemes apply to them. These schemes operate independently of each other with their own funding and appeal processes.