HL Deb 23 February 2005 vol 669 c214WA
Lord Morris of Manchester

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 31 January (WA 10), what is the justification for denying financial help from the government-funded Skipton Fund to widows of haemophilia patients whose deaths were attributable to hepatitis C infection from contaminated National Health Service blood products, when financial help is available from the government-funded Macfarlane Fund to widows of patients whose deaths were attributable to HIV infection from the same source. [HL1190]

Baroness Andrews

The Government have great sympathy for the pain and hardship suffered by the widows of those inadvertently infected with hepatitis C. However, it has always been clear that theex gratia payment scheme is for those living with the virus and is not designed to compensate for bereavement.

The schemes administered by the Skipton Fund and the Macfarlane Trust have been established for different purposes and are two distinct schemes.