• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About DNS
  • Subscribe to DNS
  • Advertise with DNS
  • Support DNS
  • Contact DNS

Disability News Service

the country's only news agency specialising in disability issues

  • Home
  • Independent Living
    • Arts, Culture and Sport
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Housing
    • Transport
  • Activism & Campaigning
  • Benefits & Poverty
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
You are here: Home / News Archive / Bill ‘will shine light on disgraceful response to blood inquiry’

Bill ‘will shine light on disgraceful response to blood inquiry’

By guest on 1st November 2009 Category: News Archive

Listen

Campaigners hope a new private members’ bill will finally force the government to provide fair compensation for the victims of the NHS contaminated blood scandal.

Lord [Alf] Morris’s contaminated blood (support for infected and bereaved persons) bill would implement all the recommendations of an independent public inquiry into what was described by one peer as the worst treatment disaster in the history of the NHS.

Nearly 5, 000 people with haemophilia were exposed to hepatitis C, and more than 1 200 were also infected with HIV, following treatment with contaminated NHS blood and blood products in the 1970s and 1980s. More than 2,000 of them have since died and many more are terminally ill.

The inquiry was led by Lord Archer of Sandwell and among its recommendations it called for the government to set up a more generous compensation scheme.

Lord Morris’s bill, which would apply across England and Wales, would increase compensation for those infected and their widows, dependants and carers, and set up a scheme to provide them with free prescriptions, therapy and counselling.

It would also review the support available to those who were infected, and set up a committee to advise on the treatment of people with haemophilia.

TaintedBlood, a campaign group set up by victims and their relatives, said it was “delighted” with the new bill, which it hoped would “mark a turning point” in the “campaign for truth and justice”.

The Haemophilia Society also welcomed the bill and said the government’s response to the inquiry’s findings had been “insulting and shameful”.

Responding to the inquiry in May, health minister Dawn Primarolo said the government would not increase compensation payments for people infected with hepatitis C, although it would “review” the compensation scheme in 2014, while people infected with HIV would see their annual compensation doubled to £12,800.

Chris James, chief executive of the Haemophilia Society, said the new bill would “turn the spotlight of parliamentary scrutiny on the disgraceful way successive governments have failed our members”.

Lord Archer said the government’s response to his report had seemed “lethargic” and he hoped the new bill would “stimulate them into action”.

Dr Norman Jones, who sat on the Archer inquiry panel, said nothing had been done to help many of the widows of people who died, and it was “not surprising that a deep sense of grievance persists in the haemophilia community”.

19 November 2009

Share this post:

Share on X (Twitter)Share on FacebookShare on WhatsAppShare on RedditShare on LinkedIn
A photograph shows an audience raising their hands in a BSL sign. The words say: 'BSL Conference 2025. The future starts with us. Leeds 17-18 July. Be part of shaping the future of Deaf cultures and identities. Get 10% off with BDA10'

Related

‘Muddled’ blue badge reforms ‘are to blame for renewal delays’
6th February 2015
UN debate will be reminder of true inclusive education
6th February 2015
IDS breaks pledge on PIP waiting-times, as tens of thousands still queue for months
30th January 2015

Primary Sidebar

On the left of the image are multiple heads of different colours - white, aqua, red, light brown, and dark green - all grouped together, then the words ‘Campaign for Disability Justice. Sign up to support. #OpportunitySecurityRespect’
A photograph shows an audience raising their hands in a BSL sign. The words say: 'BSL Conference 2025. The future starts with us. Leeds 17-18 July. Be part of shaping the future of Deaf cultures and identities. Get 10% off with BDA10'

Access

Latest Stories

Disabled MP who quit government over benefit cuts tells DNS: ‘The consequences will be devastating’

Disabled peers plan to ‘amend, amend, amend, amend, amend’ after assisted dying bill reaches Lords

Minister finally admits that working-age benefits spending is stable, despite months of ‘spiralling’ claims

This bill opens the door to scandal, abuse and injustice, disabled activists say after assisted dying bill vote

Timms says cuts must go ahead, despite being reminded of risk that disabled claimants could die

Absence of disabled people’s voices from assisted dying bill has been ‘astonishing’, says disabled MP

Timms misleads MPs on DWP transparency and cover-ups, as he gives evidence on PIP review

Ministers are considering further extension to disability hate crime laws, after pledge on ‘aggravated’ offences

Making all self-driving pilot schemes accessible would be ‘counter-productive’ and slow us down, says minister

Involve disabled people ‘meaningfully’ from the start when developing digital assistive tech, says report

Advice and Information

Readspeaker
A photograph shows an audience raising their hands in a BSL sign. The words say: 'BSL Conference 2025. The future starts with us. Leeds 17-18 July. Be part of shaping the future of Deaf cultures and identities. Get 10% off with BDA10'

Footer

The International Standard Serial Number for Disability News Service is: ISSN 2398-8924

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site map
  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Threads
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2025 Disability News Service

Site development by A Bright Clear Web