Oral Answers to Questions — Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme

Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 12:00 am on 2 April 2001.

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Photo of Hugh Bayley Hugh Bayley Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Social Security), NATO Parliamentary Assembly UK Delegation 12:00, 2 April 2001

On the latter point, provided that the victim of vaccine damage is still alive, it is possible to put the money into trust. If the money is put into trust, there would be no question of a consequential abatement of social security benefits. The vast majority of the higher-rate claims that we have received have been paid. There has been a delay only in cases in which we are going through the process of establishing trusts to achieve precisely the outcome that the right hon. Gentleman wants—to ensure that income support or other income-related benefits will not be abated because of capital being taken into account.