§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many haemophiliacs who have contracted AIDS through contaminated blood transfusions are expected to qualify for the £20,000 payments allocated through the Macfarlane (Special Payments) Trust; and what steps are being taken to ensure that all those who qualify apply.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe payments from the Macfarlane (Special Payments) Trust are available to haemophiliacs infected with HIV as the result of treatment with blood products in the United Kingdom, or the dependant or beneficiary of such a person who has died. We estimate that around 1,200 people may qualify. Some 1,150 cases are already known to the trust and through the haemophilia treatment centres it is trying to ensure that any other haemophiliacs who may be eligible know of the payments.