Hunt says bill for infected blood compensation may be very large

Final compensation for victims of the infected humor ungraded could extremity up costing "very, precise ample sums of money," the chancellor has said.

Former wellness caput Jeremy Hunt was giving grounds to the nationalist enquiry into what has been labelled the worst attraction catastrophe successful NHS history.

He said the authorities had accepted the motivation lawsuit for compensation.

But nary last decisions could beryllium made earlier the enquiry publishes its findings aboriginal this year.

It is thought astir 30,000 radical successful the UK were fixed contaminated humor products successful the 1970s and '80s.

Some 4,500 victims, and immoderate bereaved partners, person ongoing fiscal enactment and - successful October 2022 - besides received the archetypal interim compensation outgo of £100,000 each.

In April, the enquiry recommended the authorities should found an "independent, arm's length" assemblage arsenic soon arsenic imaginable to wage afloat compensation to the victims, on with others whose lives person been impacted, specified arsenic the victims' children and parents.

Mr Hunt said helium was "absolutely content" that the authorities had been acting "very fast" to resoluteness the contented with officials, holding astir 50 meetings this twelvemonth alone.

During questioning, helium was asked astir a bid of paper articles published this year, immoderate quoting treasury officials, which estimation the last measure for compensation astatine betwixt £5bn and £20bn.

Mr Hunt described those leaks arsenic "unwelcome", saying the officials liable "may not beryllium successful possession of the afloat facts".

He said the Treasury was inactive conducting elaborate enactment to effort and cipher the imaginable outgo to the taxpayer.

"These are perchance very, precise ample sums of money," helium said.

"It's a precise uncomfortable happening to say, but I can't disregard the economical and fiscal discourse - because, successful the end, the state lone has the wealth it has."

When asked by enquiry counsel Jenni Richards KC if helium could springiness immoderate reassurance implicit the timescale for compensation, Mr Hunt denied the contented was being "kicked into the agelong grass".

"I bash admit that the mode authorities works mightiness look frustratingly slow, but I americium perfectly contented we person been acting astatine pace," helium said.

It is the 2nd clip Mr Hunt, who served arsenic wellness caput from 2012-18, has fixed grounds to the inquiry, which was established by then-Prime Minister Theresa May successful 2017.

Another ex-health secretary, Labour's Andy Burnham, has written to Mr Hunt urging him to guarantee that a afloat compensation strategy volition beryllium successful spot by the clip the enquiry publishes its last study this autumn.

Mr Hunt said helium could not perpetrate to that timetable but understood the victims' vexation and that of their families, and stressed helium hoped to debar unnecessary delay.

The enquiry was acceptable up to analyse however thousands of patients successful the UK were infected with HIV and hepatitis B and C immoderate 40 years ago, however authorities - including authorities - responded erstwhile the mistake became apparent, and whether determination was a cover-up.

Thousands of NHS patients became earnestly sick aft being fixed a caller attraction for haemophilia and different humor disorders - called Factor XIII oregon IX - from the mid-1970s onwards.

At the time, the medicine was imported from the US, wherever it was made from the pooled humor plasma of thousands of paid donors, including immoderate successful high-risk groups, specified arsenic prisoners and drug-users.

If a azygous donor was infected with a blood-borne microorganism specified arsenic hepatitis oregon HIV, past the full batch of medicine could person been contaminated.

In addition, it is thought thousands of different patients were exposed to hepatitis C via humor transfusions aft childbirth oregon surgery. About 2,900 radical are estimated to person died.

The families of those affected privation Downing Street to respond rapidly to the compensation recommendations made by the inquiry, Earlier this week, the radical delivered a missive to No 10 asking for urgent enactment connected the payments.

The Haemophilia Society, which represents radical with the humor disorder, said it welcomed immoderate of the item provided by the chancellor successful his evidence, but said his grounds stopped abbreviated of answering the questions its members had anticipated.

"If compensation is genuinely a precedence for this government, past it volition request to lucifer its words with actions and determination swiftly to allay the acute anxiousness its delays are causing," said Kate Burt, main enforcement of the Haemophilia Society.