Contributions
1,763 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryI very much hope that we will be able to make a clear assessment of what we are going to do in a matter of weeks. I am doing everything I can to be clear about depicting for each…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryI do not know. I have not had those conversations yet. If a representative of the Government is asked to be there, I am absolutely sure that that will be the case. If it is me, I…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryThe hon. Gentleman makes a very fair and reasonable point. I would wish to say more than I am saying today, but we have not quite got to that point; I am doing everything I can to…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryI have reached out to prominent charities, organisations and support groups to share the progress that has been made—I had to respect the fact that we needed to do that through…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryI thank my right hon. Friend for his remarks and for what he has done on this matter. He is right: I feel responsibility both to get the substantive announcement agreed as quickly…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryMy hon. Friend makes a very good point. One of the challenges is that some cohorts of people are not registered but have been part of a scheme that does not now exist. How do we…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryAll I can do is account for what I have done since 13 November. I cannot really comment on the several decades previous to that. As the hon. Lady will know, we have had a series…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryI can reassure the hon. Lady that I am doing everything I can to bring that forward as quickly as possible. I recognise that the distress is widespread and is felt by individuals…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryFirst, I agree entirely with the hon. Lady with respect to the stigma. One cannot fail to be moved by the accounts of people in the 1980s; when they contracted HIV, the stigma in…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryMy right hon. Friend customarily asks precise and penetrating questions. I do not want to quote the few figures that I think I know, so I will write him a considered reply, which…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryLet me start by stating that the stories reported in the recent BBC news article, and indeed The Sunday Times report by Caroline Wheeler, demonstrate the unimaginable suffering of…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryMy hon. Friend makes wise observations. I did not mean not to pay tribute to him in a similar way; his commitment to this cause, probably over my lifetime, is extraordinary. In…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryYes, I do understand that. I deeply respect the views of colleagues who have made strong representations on this matter, and I am doing everything I can to move it forward as…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryI thank the right hon. Lady for her questions and initial comments. Nobody in this House has done more than her to advance the interests of the infected and affected communities,…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryI sincerely hope not. What I have said with respect to the interim payment is a response to the dialogue I have had with Members across both Chambers of the House, working with…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryYes, I recognise that all delays are painful and frustrating and cause distress. That is why I am doing everything I can to move this forward as quickly as I can. I am sorry that…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryWhen Sir Brian Langstaff publishes his report—and I have absolute confidence in the authority of the report that he will publish—that will be the time for a response from the…23 Apr 2024HANSARDInfected Blood InquiryI thank the hon. Gentleman for his heartfelt representation on behalf of his constituent Mark Fox, and I am sincerely sorry for what he has experienced. I am doing everything I…23 Apr 2024HANSARDCabinet OfficeI met several union leaders a few weeks ago. On 2 October, the Chancellor announced that the civil service would be capped at the levels that were current at that time, which…11 Mar 2024HANSARDCabinet OfficeI met several union leaders a few weeks ago. On 2 October, the Chancellor announced that the civil service would be capped at the levels that were current at that time, which…11 Mar 2024