| answer text |
<p>The Department launched the first infected blood consultation, ‘Infected blood:
reform on financial and other support’<sup>1</sup>, in January 2016. The consultation
confirmed that the majority of beneficiaries would prefer one scheme to the then five
schemes. The second consultation ‘Infected blood: Consultation on Special Category
Mechanism and financial and other support in England’<sup>2</sup> in October 2017
announced that NHS Business Services Authority, not the former scheme administrators,
such as the Macfarlane Trust, would manage the new reformed scheme.</p><p>I have written
to the Macfarlane Trust on a number of occasions since 12 September 2018 asking for
its plans with respect to any residual funds it held on closure. I also reminded the
Macfarlane Trust that it must operate in accordance with its trust deed which states
that the funds can only be transferred to one or more bodies established for charitable
purposes with similar, or the same, objectives to its own i.e. providing support for
people infected with HIV. The Macfarlane Trust informed me of the transfer of the
its residual funds and assets to the Terrence Higgins Trust via a letter dated 12
December 2018. Consultation with beneficiaries regarding this transfer of assets on
closure was not the responsibility of the Department.</p><p>Notes:</p><p><sup>1</sup><a
href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/infected-blood-reform-of-financial-and-other-support"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/infected-blood-reform-of-financial-and-other-support</a></p><p>
</p><p><sup>2</sup><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/infected-blood-support-special-category-mechanism"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/infected-blood-support-special-category-mechanism</a></p>
|
|
