Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that the bereaved former partners, widows and widowers of people now deceased who were infected by contaminated blood who subsequently (a) marry another person, (b) cohabit with a new partner or (c) form a civil partnership with a new partner will be eligible for financial support under the England Infected Blood Support Scheme on the same basis as people who do not so marry, cohabit or form a civil partnership.

All widows, widowers and bereaved former partners of people who were historically infected with hepatitis C and/or HIV from National Health Service supplied blood or blood products may still qualify for support and assistance payments from the England Infected Blood Support Scheme irrespective of changes in their personal circumstances, such as re-marriage. The widow, widower or bereaved former partner should apply for discretionary support as previously.