Question reference: S5W-15579
- Asked by: Alison Johnstone, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Green Party
- Date lodged: 23 March 2018
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Current status: Answered by Shona Robison on 18 April 2018
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the (a) widows, (b) widowers and (c) partners of people who have died as the result of infection with contaminated blood or blood products are eligible for pension payments through the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme.
Answer
All widows, widowers, civil partners and long-term partners of beneficiaries whose infection directly contributed to their death are eligible to apply for annual payments from the Scottish Infected Blood Support Scheme. These are not pension payments; they are annual ex gratia payments. The independent clinical review of the impacts of chronic hepatitis C infection is currently considering whether there is evidence of chronic hepatitis C leading to death in certain circumstances; it is expected to produce findings on this soon.