Update on the infected blood inquiry
The Minister for the Constitution, Chloe Smith, has today confirmed to Parliament that participants in the Infected Blood Inquiry will be able to access support for legal expenses for responding to the Inquiry's consultation on its Terms of Reference, ahead of the formal start of the Inquiry.
The Minister said:
The Infected Blood Inquiry is a priority for this Government. The infected blood tragedy of the 1970s and 80s should never have happened. We are committed to making sure all those that have suffered so terribly can get the answers they have spent decades waiting for, and lessons can be learned so that a tragedy of this scale can never happen again.
We want to make sure that all those who need to contribute to the Inquiry can do so.
The Inquiry Chair will be able to make awards for legal representation once the Inquiry is formally established and he intends to make early provision for core participant designation and legal expenses awards.
Ministers have also decided that reasonable expenses for legal representation to respond to the consultation of the Terms of Reference of the Inquiry, will be met. Any claims will be handled by the solicitor to the Inquiry.
The Chair of the Inquiry has been actively consulting with those who have been affected about how to ensure the Inquiry delivers the answers they deserve, and the consultation on Terms of Reference has been designed to be as user-friendly as possible.