Ex-pupils experimented on with infected blood criticise ‘insulting’ compensation offer
A campaigner who was infected with HIV and hepatitis B at Lord Mayor’s Treloar’s College described the £15,000 additional payout as a “kick in the teeth”. The extra sum is offered to those who were subject to “unethical research” with tainted blood products.
Infected blood campaigners have criticised a “derisory and insulting” offer from the government as part of the compensation scheme.
The row centres around former pupils at the Lord Mayor’s Treloar’s College, where children with haemophilia were experimented on without their knowledge.
Under the recently announced compensation package, victims of the scandal could receive as much as £2.7m each.
In addition, there is a £10,000 “unethical research” fee for people who were infected while being a part of studies. For those who were at Treloar’s, this figure is £15,000.
Former Treloar’s pupil Richard Warwick described the £15,000 figure as a “kick in the teeth”.
“We all think it is derisory and insulting,” he said.
“It is unbelievable and unfathomable where they got this figure from.”
The campaigner was infected with HIV and hepatitis B at the school.
He said he was expecting a yearly payment for those people who were experimented on and were infected with unsafe blood.
Mr Warwick is now considering “taking legal advice”.
Another former Treloar’s pupil Gary Webster said the £15,000 number was “an insult”.
He also left the institution with hepatitis and HIV.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, the paymaster general, was asked by Sky News about the dispute.
He said: “I’ve heard Richard Warwick speak very, very movingly about his experience at Treloar’s.
“There was a particularly egregious breach of trust in respect of that school.”
The minister said the government picked the £15,000 figure because it was recommended by Sir Robert Francis KC, senior barrister and interim chairman of the compensation authority.
“That is only one small element of the much larger amounts of money that are available under the tariff-based scheme,” he added.
As well as their compensation and any “unethical research” fees, victims of the scandal will get support payments “for life”, the government has confirmed.
Read more:
Hundreds of infection blood victims launch legal action
Inquiry finds scandal was ‘not an accident’
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It is thought that more than 30,000 people were infected with HIV or hepatitis after being given infected blood in the 1970s and 1980s.
Those who are alive, and the families of the deceased, will be able to claim money.
The full cost of the compensation scheme has not been revealed by the government, but Mr Thomas-Symonds said more detail would be put forward at the budget in October.
