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The Haemophilia Society waives legal privilege on documents

Written by Jessica Bomford, March 3, 2020

To date The Haemophilia Society has identified approximately 30,000 archive documents, going back to 1949, which may be of relevance to the Infected Blood Inquiry.

The vast majority of these documents were provided to the inquiry in February 2019. However, just over 300 documents were withheld under Legal Professional Privilege (LPP), which grants a protection from disclosing legal advice. Last week, The Society submitted all of the documents which were previously withheld to the inquiry.

Clive Smith, chair of The Haemophilia Society, said: “I am pleased that as of last week we have been able to submit an additional 300 documents to the Infected Blood Inquiry team, waiving The Society’s right to Legal Professional Privilege in relation to their contents.

“We accept and fully support the inquiry’s need to scrutinise the role of The Society, along with many other organisations, in order to ensure that this investigation is thorough and effective. Only then can the victims of the contaminated blood scandal get the truth and justice that they deserve.

“The Society will continue to offer full transparency and cooperation to the inquiry as it carries out its investigations.”