Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how the England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS) plans to make arrangements for NHS prescription pre-payment certificates for people affected by the contaminated blood scandal; and if he will take steps to ensure that all EIBISS primary beneficiaries are universally entitled to prepayment certificates without the need for a means-test.

As part of the discretionary support arrangements being put in place under the England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS), being run by NHS Business Services Authority, any beneficiary who is not entitled to receive free prescriptions will be able to apply for a pre-payment certificate which will be paid for by the EIBSS; this provision will not be means tested. These arrangements continue the pre-existing support provided by the former payments schemes.