Final infected blood inquiry report delayed until May

The publication of a final report into the infected blood scandal has been delayed until May.

The chairman of the public inquiry, Sir Brian Langstaff, said more time was needed to prepare "a report of this gravity".

Victims and their families were initially told they would learn the findings in autumn last year.

That date was pushed back until March, and the inquiry has now confirmed the further delay to 20 May 2024.

"I am sorry to tell you that the report will be published later than March. That is not what I had intended," added Sir Brian.

"When I reviewed the plans for publication, I nonetheless had to accept that a limited amount of further time is needed to publish a report of this gravity and do justice to what has happened."

It is thought about 30,000 people were infected with HIV and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s.

More than 3,000 have died in what has been described by MPs as the worst treatment disaster in NHS history.

In April 2023, Sir Brian published his final recommendations for a full compensation scheme for those directly affected by the scandal and their relatives.

The government has said it accepts the "moral case" for compensation, and interim payouts of £100,000 each have already been made to about 4,000 victims and some bereaved partners.

But ministers have said they are not in a position to make a final decision on further payouts, which could total billions of pounds, until they have seen the inquiry's findings in full.

Campaigners say that one person affected by the scandal dies every four days, making the speed of compensation key.

Rachel Halford, chief executive of the Hepatitis C Trust, said the latest delay would be "extremely disappointing" for a community that has "already been forced to wait half a century for justice".

"We now expect the government to immediately establish a full compensation scheme, and extend compensation to everyone affected," she added.

"The clock is ticking and the government has nowhere left to hide."

In December 2023, the government lost a key vote in the Commons that could force it to make final compensation payments more quickly.

Opposition MPs and some Conservative rebels passed an amendment to a separate law - the Victims and Prisoners Bill - which is still making its way through the House of Lords.

If the amendment becomes law, it would force ministers to set up a scheme to administer the payouts within three months of the bill receiving royal assent.

In a statement, Sir Brian said that he still wanted to see the a final compensation scheme set up "with urgency".

"No-one should be in any doubt about the serious nature of the failings over more than six decades that have led to catastrophic loss of life and compounded suffering," he added.

A cabinet office spokeswoman said the inquiry covers a set of "extremely complex issues".

"As such, the government intends to respond in full to Sir Brian's recommendations for wider compensation following the publication of the inquiry's final report," she added.