Health: Contaminated Blood Products

House of Lords written question – answered at on 21 July 2009.

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Photo of Lord Morris of Manchester Lord Morris of Manchester Labour

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment the Department of Health has made of paragraph 3.2 of the submission from the Macfarlane Trust dated 1 July replying to the Written Statement by Lord Darzi of Denham on 20 May (WS 121—2) in response to the report of the Independent Public Inquiry headed by Lord Archer of Sandwell that the average amount disbursed to infected beneficiaries was £8,100 in the financial year ended 31 March 2008 and £8,600 in the financial year ended 31 March 2009.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the Department of Health's response to the proposed level of annual payments to the infected beneficiary community in paragraph 3.4 of the submission from the Macfarlane Trust dated 1 July replying to the Written Statement by Lord Darzi of Denham on 20 May (WA 121—2) in response to the report of the Independent Public Inquiry headed by Lord Archer of Sandwell.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment the Department of Health has made of paragraph 4.2 of the submission from the Macfarlane Trust dated 1 July replying to the Written Statement by Lord Darzi of Denham on 20 May (WA 121—2) in response to the report of the Independent Public Inquiry headed by Lord Archer of Sandwell that the potential number of bereaved and other dependants will be around 500.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment the Department of Health has made of paragraph 4.2 of the submission from the Macfarlane Trust dated 1 July replying to the Written Statement by Lord Darzi of Denham on 20 May (WA 121—2) in response to the report of the independent public inquiry headed by Lord Archer of Sandwell that the average level of financial disbursements to widows and dependants is £3,300.

Photo of Lord Darzi of Denham Lord Darzi of Denham Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Health, Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health)

The Macfarlane and Eileen Trusts have sent to departmental officials detailed commentaries on the Government's response to the report by Lord Archer. This material provides a helpful background to work now under way to implement the Government's response.

The Government note the Macfarlane Trust's analysis of its payments to infected beneficiaries. The Government's response to Lord Archer's report, given on 20 May explained that annual payments to infected beneficiaries will be £12,800.

The Government also note that the average payment by the Macfarlane Trust to widows and dependants in 2008-09 was £3,300. The trust's unaudited annual report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2009 record that the trust made payments to 81 such beneficiaries in 2008-09. The trust's submission does not set out in detail the basis on which they estimate that this number might increase to 500.

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