Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme, what steps they plan to take to mitigate the impact on carers as individuals specifically in relation to the loss of pensions, career damage and loss of family light.

The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme compensates for the cost of care incurred by someone’s infection in two ways.

A Care award is paid to the infected person as part of their overall compensation claim. A living infected person receiving this compensation can take a decision on whether all or some of this award should be passed to an affected person. An executor of a deceased infected person's estate will be responsible for administering the estate as per the wishes of the infected person.

If someone provided care to an infected person, and is not otherwise eligible for compensation in relation to that person (for example, as their sibling or parent), they may be eligible for compensation as an affected carer. They will need to show that they provided an infected person with care, without reward or remuneration, where the provision of care averaged at least 16.5 hours of care per week over a time period of at least 6 months, after the infection. They will be eligible to receive an injury award and a social impact award.

Whether someone receives part or all of an infected person’s care award, as per the wishes of the infected person, does not affect whether they can apply for the award as a carer, or as any other affected person. The two are not linked, and have no bearing on each other.