§ Lord Newallasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made since their statement of 16th November 1987 concerning financial assistance to haemophiliacs infected with the AIDS virus.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Security (Lord Skelmersdale)Our announcement indicated that the Government would make an ex-gratia grant of £10 1351WA million to enable the Haemophilia Society to establish a special trust fund to provide financial help to haemophiliacs infected with the AIDS virus and their families. A charitable trust fund to be known as the Macfarlane Trust has now been established. Letters exchanged with the Haemophilia Society and the trust deed incorporating the objects of the trust have been placed in the Library.
It will be the duty of the trustees to ensure that payments from the trust are made in the most effective way and take into account the differing circumstances of those affected. However to ensure that all the £l0 million reaches those in need, 1352WA regulations have been laid which disregard any payment from the trust fund when deciding entitlement to housing benefit and which also protect the confidentiality of the individual by making it unnecessary to report payments to the local authority. Similar regulations and arrangements have been introduced for income support and family credit. Because the Macfarlane Trust is charitable, beneficiaries will not be liable to income tax on payments made to them.
Now that the Macfarlane Trust has been established the £10 million is being paid to the Haemophilia Society.