Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2025 to Question 25004 on Infected Blood Compensation Scheme: Hepatitis, what steps he is taking to improve the application process for compensation (a) in general and (b) for people with a line of succession to victims.

The delivery of compensation payments, including the application process, is a matter for the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA). IBCA made its first payments to a small cohort of eligible infected people in December 2024, and has steadily increased the number of people invited to claim. This “test and learn” approach of trialling a system with a small number of people is to make sure it works properly, before increasing the number of users. The Government expects payments to eligible affected people to begin this year. Both the Government and IBCA remain committed to ensuring payments are made as soon as possible.