§ Mr. George OsborneTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the current funds are in the discretionary fund available to victims and families of new variant CJD; what the outstanding claims are on that discretionary fund; and if he will make a statement on the future operation of the discretionary fund. [145112]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonIt was in recognition of the special plight of those affected by variant CJD (vCJD) that the Government established the vCJD Trust which oversees the payment of no-fault compensation to the families involved.
1113WThe terms of the trust were agreed with representatives of the families following a lengthy period of consultation. The compensation scheme provides for payments to be made in respect of 250 cases up to a maximum of £55 million.
On top of this £55 million, the Government also agreed to meet the families' request to pay a further £50,000 to every victim or their family in each of the first 250 cases.
Additionally, the trustees can make extra payments in prescribed circumstances where particular hardship is involved and where the trustees consider that further payment should be made. Such payments can be made from the discretionary fund although there is no entitlement as of right for those making claims upon this fund since further payments from it are entirely at the discretion of the trustees.
To date, the trustees of the vCJD Trust have made payments of £1,509,353.99 from the discretionary fund in respect of 96 cases. This leaves a balance of £3,490,646.01 in the discretionary fund.
Further information about the vCJD Trust will be available on the trust's website www.vcjdtrust.co.uk shortly, to which the trust's first Annual Report covering the period 15 March 2002 to 5 April 2003 will be added in the next couple of weeks.
I will place a copy of the trust's report in the Library.