Government Defeated in Parliament Over Infected Blood Scandal Compensation Scheme

A hospital in the United Kingdom in an undated file photo. PA

The government has suffered its first defeat in the House of Commons on a whipped vote since the general election in 2019, after 22 Conservative MPs rebelled over the infected blood scandal.

The vote on an amendment to the Victims and Prisoners Bill was held late on Monday. The amendment, tabled by Labour MP Dame Diana Johnson, moved to speed up compensation for victims of the NHS infected blood scandal in the 1970s and 1980s.

It also proposed the government sets up a body to implement the compensation scheme within three months of a new bill becoming law.

The voting record showed that the bill was passed by 246 votes to 242, in a clear defeat to the Conservative party, which overwhelmingly voted against it. However, the 22 Tory votes, backing the amendment, tipped the scales.

Rehman Chishti, Sir Robert Buckland, Damian Green, Dame Andrea Jenkyns and Chloe Smith were among the rebel Conservatives, who backed the change to the bill.

MP for Gillingham and Rainham, Mr. Chishti told the house that the government “shouldn’t delay any further” in delivering justice for the victims of the contaminated blood scandal.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” Mr. Chisti said.

Dame Diana said it was an “important step forward in what has been an extraordinary long fight for justice.”

Infected Blood Probe

The infected blood row saw more than 3,000 people die after contracting HIV or hepatitis C, after they received contaminated blood via NHS treatments in the 1970s and 1980s.

Up to 30,000 people were given contaminated blood products after receiving blood transfusion or via other treatments.

An inquiry was set up in 2017 to examine the circumstances of the scandal.

Chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff, the Infected Blood Inquiry has heard statements from witnesses and family members of the victims.

The Haemophilia Society, pharmaceutical companies, public health officials and government witnesses also gave evidence to the inquiry.

The inquiry’s interim report called to extend the initial financial redress scheme, which would only include victims themselves or bereaved partners. The inquiry said that bereaved parents and bereaved children, who have lost their parents, should also be covered.

The inquiry recommended to implement the scheme, without waiting for the final report to be published. It was due in November, but has been pushed back to March 2024.

Downing Street wanted to wait for the final report, before it made decisions on the scheme extension. However, the house vote on Monday means that the government will have to speed up compensation payments to the victims.

“There is still much work to be done to fully implement Sir Brian’s recommendations and bring justice to those who don’t have the luxury of waiting,” Dame Diana said.

The All-Party Parliamentary group on Haemophilia and Contaminated Blood, chaired by Dame Diana, has been calling for “sufficient recompense” for the victims since 2015.

Other campaigners include the Haemophilia Society, whose Chief Executive Kate Burt has thanked the MPs for “dragging the government towards urgent action.”

“The prime minister should be ashamed that it has taken cross-party political pressure and public opinion to force his government to do the right thing and commit to a full compensation scheme for people impacted by the contaminated blood scandal,” said Ms. Burt.

The government has previously acknowledged that the infected blood scandal “should never have happened.”

Justice Minister Edward Argar said the government would respond to the inquiry’s final report within 25 sitting days. Paymaster General John Glen MP would update the House about progress towards a compensation scheme before Christmas, said Mr. Argar.

He added that the government has plans to table its own amendments to the Victims and Prisoners Bill at a later stage.

Dame Diana told the House that if government ministers accepted the “moral case for compensation,” they shouldn’t have been delaying, but instead backing her amendment and “delivering justice.”