Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral statement on Infected Blood Inquiry of 15 December 2022, Official Report column 1249, what steps he is taking to consult the infected blood community on compensation for that group.

As I said in my statement of 15 December 2022, it is my intention to update Parliament as we make progress in consideration of compensation. Work is underway across Government in order to ensure that the Government is ready to act swiftly in response to Sir Brian Langstaff’s final report when it is delivered. I welcome the fact that both Sir Robert Francis’ Study and Sir Brian’s Inquiry have engaged extensively with the infected and affected community and I plan to meet and hear from people impacted as our work progresses, and I expect to do so soon.