HC Deb 01 April 2003 vol 402 c675W
Annabelle Ewing

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 25 March 2003,Official Report, column 171W, on Hepatitis C, what broader issues have been raised; and which Government Departments are involved in the discussions. [106485]

Malcolm Wicks

The Scottish Executive's proposal to compensate Hepatitis C sufferers who contracted the virus through contaminated blood has raised the issue of the legal competence of the Scottish Executive, which has wider implications for the UK Government as a whole.

It would be inappropriate for me to comment further until discussions about the proposal have reached a conclusion.