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Public Inquiry: “Nothing will be held back” says Minister

Written by Aaron Dennis, December 17, 2019

The Infected Blood Inquiry is a “priority” for the new Government, despite being left out of the Conservative Party’s election manifesto, according to Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

Responding to a letter from The Haemophilia Society’s CEO Liz Carroll which criticised the Conservative Party for failing to mention the Infected Blood Inquiry in its manifesto, Mr Hancock insisted that Prime Minister Boris Johnson has a “personal commitment to providing the Inquiry with all the support it needs to complete its work as quickly as a thorough examination of the facts allows”.

Mr Hancock’s letter, written on December 4, said: “We understand how vital it is that the victims and their families get the answers they have spent decades waiting for. Nothing will be held back, so victims can have confidence they will get the answers they deserve and we can ensure that lessons are learnt so that a tragedy of this scale can never happen again.”

Mr Hancock said that decisions on compensation would be made by the Cabinet Office once the Inquiry has reported its findings. He said he hoped work to address the large disparities in infected blood support scheme payments across the UK would begin “as soon as possible”.

He concluded: “I wish to reassure you that the Infected Blood Inquiry is a priority for our party.”

Ms Carroll said: “I am grateful for Mr Hancock’s reply and his assurance that the Infected Blood Inquiry is a priority. Now that the Conservative Party has formed the new Government I trust there will be urgent action to address the unacceptable disparity in infected blood support payments across the UK. We shall judge Mr Hancock and the Government by their actions, not their words.”

Read Matt Hancock’s letter to The Haemophilia Society here: Matt Hancock MP Letter

Read Liz Carroll’s letter to Mr Hancock in full here.