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Hepatitis C Trust Condemns Infected Blood Research Payouts as Consultation Nears Deadline

Campaigners say proposed sums undervalue harm to children used in unethical NHS research.

Overview

  • Government proposals set one-off awards at £15,000 for Treloar’s cases and £10,000 for similar cases, with a potential £25,000 figure reported, subject to an open consultation closing January 22.
  • The Hepatitis C Trust wrote to Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds calling the payments wholly inadequate and urging a full, transparent review.
  • Survivor Gary Webster, infected as a pupil at Treloar’s, called £25,000 “way off the mark” and said more than 80 of 122 haemophiliac boys from the school have died.
  • A government spokesperson said uplifts to Autonomy awards will be delivered via a supplementary route and noted that more than £2 billion has already been paid under the wider scheme.
  • The National Police Chiefs’ Council review on whether to launch a criminal investigation remains ongoing with no timeline, prompting renewed calls for clarity on accountability.