Written questions by Stone.

With reference to the final report of the Infected Blood Inquiry, published on 20 May 2024, what information his Department holds on whether the use of haemophilia patients and their families for research has ceased.

Medical research was an important area examined in the inquiry, with it concluding that ‘the value of such research to society is enhanced rather than undermined by undertaking research in an ethical and moral way’.The Department funds research on health and social care through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and care.In January 2026, the NIHR published the attached report, From subject to participant and partner, on its website, summarising the concerns raised in the inquiry report, as well as a summary of the research governance changes since and a synthesis of an in-person workshop. The NIHR and partners who attended the workshop are committed to upholding the highest standards of research governance to drive better inclusivity in the evidence base for care, working with those who use, manage, or work in health and care services to share learning and drive improvement. The NIHR requires all applicants to demonstrate how their research will address existing inequalities in health and social care as a condition of funding.The NIHR was created in 2006, many decades after individuals received infected blood in the United Kingdom. The NIHR did not therefore fund any clinical trials or research where individuals received infected blood. The NIHR has strong ethical, safety, and legal governance arrangements, including processes to ensure informed consent for those participating in research, and includes parental and guardian consent for children involved in research.The NIHR funds a wide range of research relevant to the Infected Blood Inquiry. Work includes making blood donation and transfusion safer by improving transfusion practice, reducing variation in practice and ensuring greater resilience and efficiency throughout the blood supply chain.This includes research on improving the safety of blood transfusions and blood products, and research to improve better detection and treatments for blood borne infections, including through opt out testing in accident and emergency departments for HIV, and Hepatitis B and C.

With reference to the final report of the Infected Blood Inquiry, published on 20 May 2024, whether any ongoing access to (a) patient notes, (b) tissue samples and (c) post‑mortem material is being carried out under (i) public health legislation and (ii) other regulatory powers.

Given the long-running nature of the infected blood scandal, not all medical records will still be available, and eligibility for compensation will be determined based on the balance of probabilities.The Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA) will try to get as much information, including medical records and information about an applicant’s condition, from organisations who already have this information. This should mean those claiming will be asked for the least amount of information possible.The IBCA will provide assistance to those who believe their medical records have been lost or destroyed. The role of the IBCA’s claim managers includes helping individuals who are claiming to gather information, including medical evidence where available, to support their claim.In July 2025, the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office wrote to the chairs of the Public Accounts and Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committees to set out the measures being taken to prioritise faster payments to victims of the infected blood scandal. One of these measures is to use the powers in the Victims and Prisoners Act to get records from the Infected Blood Inquiry, and using testimony to contribute to the assessment of proof of infection.Organisations that remove, store, and use human tissue for some types of health research, medical treatment, post-mortem examination, education and training, and for display in public, are independently regulated by the Human Tissue Authority.