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BILLIONS will be set aside to compensate the victims of the infected blood and Post Office Horizon scandals, Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced today.
About £11.8 billion will be available for 30,000 NHS patients who were infected with HIV or hepatitis C from contaminated blood products from the 1970s to early 1990s, a scandal that caused thousands of deaths.
And £1.8bn will compensate subpostmasters wrongly accused of fraud due to faulty software, some of whom faced jail, fines, and ostracism.
Public inquiries into both scandals recommended swift and generous compensation packages.
Jason Evans, director of campaign group Factor 8, welcomed the announcement and said many affected by the scandal believe the government should “claw back” costs from companies who manufactured tainted blood products.
He said: “Both public authorities and commercial organisations share responsibility for the infected blood scandal.
“Both knowingly allowed infected blood products to be in circulation for patient use.
“I would encourage the government to carefully consider if the public interest is served by allowing companies, whose products kill people, to evade their share of responsibility.”
