Extract from Wales Assembly: Questions to Minister for Health - June 5

Hefin David AM: The Minister will be aware that the BBC reported the case of Kirk Ellis from Caerphilly, who contracted Hepatitis C when he was a toddler, and it first came to light he had that when he was 13. He receives £18,500 a year in compensation. In April, the Prime Minister announced that patients in England would receive an extra £10,000. That would not apply to patients affected in Wales. It isn't fair that the 175 people in Wales with haemophilia who were infected in the 1970s and 1980s get less financial help than in England and Scotland. Health—although it's a devolved matter, Kirk Ellis recognises that this happened before devolution, during the UK Government's watch, and that they should be responsible for making payments. But, whatever happens, this needs to be resolved, and I'd like to know what the Minister is doing to get this issue resolved and ensure that fair payments are happening across the United Kingdom.

Vaughan Gething AM (Minister for Health and Social Services): Yes. I've seen the interviews that your constituent has given, and he does recognise, as you say, that this happened pre-devolution, and you would ordinarily expect the UK Government to take on continuing responsibility for what was a real scandal undertaken, over many decades, where people were innocently infected and their whole life has been affected. I was disappointed that the UK Department for Health, on the day that the inquiry finally started, announced an entirely new payment system only for English residents, without any kind of notice or discussion with Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, that ran contrary to previous agreements and discussions that had taken place, because there are differences in the support schemes that are available across the United Kingdom. I think it would be sensible if we could come to the point where we had a support system that was consistent across the United Kingdom. That requires the four Governments to work together. That was given to us before the inquiry started, and then a surprise announcement was made. Our officials, though, do continue to talk, and there's a meeting due to take place between officials in the next week, and we are looking to have a date when UK Ministers can discuss these matters together—from each of the three Governments, Ministers, and a representative from the Northern Ireland Government as well—before the end of summer recess, because I do want to make progress, and I certainly don't want to leave this issue to carry on with an annual competition between the four Governments, rather some sense and sensibility to recognise we need to support the people who have been affected, because there's still quite a lot of their life to be lived.