Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what range of compensation payments is planned to be available under the Government's proposals for people who have been affected by contaminated blood who undertake individual health assessments.

The detail of the potential payment bands can only be decided when decisions on the shape and structure of the new scheme have been made following consultation. It is anticipated that there would likely be a number of broadly defined bands of ill health with different levels of annual payment attached to each. The greatest impact of infection on health would attract the highest annual payment. We intend that the highest payment would be £15,000 per annum. The payments are not compensation but ex-gratia. Under the current scheme those who receive annual payments receive £14,749.