Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the consultation on payment of compensation out of the his Department's contingency fund for those who have suffered from the contaminated bloods issue will report.

Liability has not been established in the majority of cases of individuals infected with hepatitis C and/or HIV through NHS-supplied blood or blood products, so it would not be appropriate to talk about support payments in terms of compensation.

I announced in the House of Commons on 16 December 2015, in response to an Urgent Question, Official Report, columns 1555-1565, that the consultation on reforming the current payment schemes for those infected with hepatitis C and/or HIV through NHS-supplied blood or blood products will be announced later this month.