§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the number of haemophiliacs who have been injected with blood clotting agent Factor VIII; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonPrecise figures are not held centrally but it is broadly estimated that up to 3,000 haemophilia A patients may use Factor VIII products either on an intermittent or a regular basis.
§ Mr. McCrindleasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received from the insurance industry concerning compensation for haemophiliacs who have contracted AIDS following the administering of Factor VIII, and whose next of kin have claimed against the companies; what response he has given; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonWe are not aware of any representations from insurance companies on this matter.
§ Mr. Frank Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Social Services when the Ministers in his Department first became aware that Factor VIII products might contain HIV; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonEvidence emerged in the United States of America in 1982 that haemophiliacs were contracting AIDS and although the mechanism of infection was not known, it was presumed that it had been transmitted through the use of blood products such as Factor VIII.
I also refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 7 April, at column 207.