Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government plans to provide publicly funded legal advice and advocacy services to claimants of the Infected Blood Compensation Scheme.

The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme has been designed so that the process to make a claim is as easy as possible, without the advice of a solicitor. However, the Government recognises that people may wish to seek legal advice. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority’s approach is that everyone claiming compensation should be able to access free legal and financial support, up to an agreed amount, to help with certain parts of their claim. The Infected Blood Compensation Authority is providing independent legal support to the people making the first claims, with around half of those who have submitted a claim so far having taken up the offer of legal support.