Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answers of 30 March 2011, Official Report, column 399W, to the hon. Member for Colne Valley, and of 28 March 2011, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA217, to Lord Morris of Manchester, whether, when the dependents and widows of those who contracted hepatitis C following treatment with NHS blood products, but who died before 29 August 2003, were given the opportunity to apply for Skipton Fund lump sum payments during a two month period in January to March 2011 the fact that (a) registrations made after the 31 March 2011 deadline could be accepted on a case-by-case basis where there was a valid reason for the applicant to have missed the registration deadline and (b) applicants needed only to register with the fund by the deadline and could compile the necessary medical evidence later were communicated through the channels listed in Deposited Paper DEP2011-0543.

The decision that claims to the Skipton Fund in respect of people who died before 29 August 2003 could be registered after 31 March 2011 on a case-by-case basis, where there was a valid reason for the applicant to have missed the registration deadline, was communicated by the Skipton Fund on its website. It was not communicated through the other channels listed in Deposited Paper DEP2011-0543.

The Skipton Fund website still states that it is possible to apply for payments on behalf of the estate of someone who died prior to 29 August 2003, but claimants are asked to contact the Skipton Fund to discuss whether the claimant has a valid reason for missing the original deadline for registering claims of 31 March 2011.