![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://uknews.evprotec.com/hunt-says-bill-for-infected-blood-compensation-may-be-very-large/&media=https://uknews.evprotec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/130578176_a9097860f74ab3ffde5bb904762c6126152d4ada.jpg&description=Image source, Jordan Pettitt/PA Image caption, Mr Hunt, arriving at the inquiry Final compensation for victims of the infected blood scandal could end up costing "very, very large sums of money," the chancellor has said. Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt was giving evidence to the public inquiry into what has been labelled the worst treatment disaster in NHS history. He said the government had accepted the moral case for compensation. But he said no final decisions could be made before the inquiry publishes its findings later this year. It is thought nearly 30,000 people in the UK were given contaminated blood products in the 1970s and '80s. Some 4,500 victims, and some bereaved partners, receive ongoing financial support and - in October 2022 - also received the first interim compensation payment of £100,000 each. In April, the inquiry recommended the government should establish an "independent, arm's length" body as soon as possible to pay full compensation to the victims, along with others whose lives have been impacted, such as the victims' children and parents. Mr Hunt said he was "absolutely content" that the government had been acting "very fast" to resolve the issue with officials, holding about 50 meetings this year alone. During questioning, he was asked about a series of newspaper articles published this year, some quoting treasury officials, which estimate the final bill for compensation at between £5bn and £20bn. Mr Hunt described those leaks as "unwelcome", saying the officials responsible "may not be in possession of the full facts". He said the Treasury was still conducting detailed work to try and calculate the potential cost to the taxpayer. "These are potentially very, very large sums of money," he said. "It's a very uncomfortable thing to say, but I can't ignore the economic and fiscal context - because, in the end, the country only has the money it has." Image caption, The Haemophilia Society protested outside the inquiry earlier this week Whe){kind=link}
Final compensation for victims of the infected blood scandal could end up costing “very, very large sums of money,” the chancellor has said.
Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt was giving evidence to the public inquiry into what has been labelled the worst treatment disaster in NHS history.
He said the government had accepted the moral case for compensation.
But he said no final decisions could be made before the inquiry publishes its findings later this year.
It is thought nearly 30,000 people in the UK were given contaminated blood products in the 1970s and ’80s.