Committee publication · Correspondence · 22 June 2026
Letter from the Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permeant Secretary relating to Government compensation schemes evidence session follow-up, 16 June 2026
Summary
Catherine Little, Civil Service Chief Operating Officer and Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary, writes to clarify a statement made during PAC's 4 June evidence session on government compensation schemes. She clarifies that her reference to 'affected' individuals' estates meant estates of infected people who had died, using 'affected' in a general sense rather than the specific technical meaning within infected blood scandal terminology.
Key findings
- Little confirms difficulties identifying the full scope of claims from families, children, descendants, and estates of infected blood scandal victims
- She clarifies terminological ambiguity: her use of 'affected' in the original answer meant 'impacted' generally, not the specific 'affected' category in infected blood scheme terminology
- The clarification specifically addresses claims from estates of infected people who have died, distinguishing them from other categories of claimants
Tone
ProceduralTopics
public-compensationinfected-blood-scandalgovernment-accountability
Key actors
Catherine Little CB, Sir Geoffrey (PAC Chair), Clive Betts, Cabinet Office, Department of Health
Notable line
“I was referring to claims from the estates of infected people who have very sadly died.”
Key Quotes
“For the infected individuals, it has been a little bit easier because we have had a registered scheme in existence for several years run by the Department of Health. But for the affected, for loved ones, for families, for children and descendants, and for the estates of people who have been affected, we have really struggled to identify the very broad possible impact that this could have.”
“I was using the term 'affected' here in its general meaning, to mean "impacted"”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗