Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the England Infected Blood Support Scheme will accept evidence that Hepatitis C was the cause of death or contributed to the death of a person for Special Category or Hepatitis Stage 2 applications.

To apply for special category mechanism and hepatitis C stage 2, the individual must first be accepted as an England Infected Blood Support Scheme (EIBSS) hepatitis C stage 1 beneficiary. If an estate or a bereaved partner of a hepatitis C Stage 1 beneficiary makes a hepatitis C stage 2 application and the death certificate of the beneficiary demonstrates one of the qualifying medical conditions for the application, the EIBSS would accept this as suitable evidence. Special category mechanism applications can only be made by the infected individual.