Adam Durbin
Live reporter

We'll be closing our live coverage shortly, but before we go here's a quick summary of the key events from today:

• Paymaster General John Glen laid out the initial plans for the government's compensation scheme to pay victims of the infected blood scandal
• Interim payments of £210,000 will be made within 90 days to "living infected beneficiaries", those who register for support before the final scheme is operational and the estates of those who pass away in the intervening period before final payments are made
• A new body, the Infected Blood Compensation Authority, has been launched to administer the compensation scheme, with Sir Robert Francis named as interim chair
• The first final payments are expected to be made before the end of the year and will be exempt from income, capital gains tax and inheritance tax
• The total compensation cost has not yet been confirmed, despite reports £10bn has been earmarked, but Glen said it would be "comprehensive"
• The policy paper suggests some victims could get between £2.2m and £2.6m, although many will receive far less

• Scotland's First Minister John Swinney has apologised on behalf of the Scottish government, following apologies from other major political parties yesterday
• Labour's Dame Diana Johnson urged the government to make sure they engage fully with the infected blood community

• Law firm Leigh Day, which represents 300 victims, has said it is considering potential civil legal action

You can continue reading here with our latest story: Infected blood victims could get £2m compensation

This page was written by Cachella Smith, Hollie Cole, Jacqueline Howard and James Gregory.

It was edited by Adam Durbin, Jack Burgess and Nathan Williams.

One of the victims we've been hearing from is Colette Wintle, who has given her reaction to the report's details.

Collete is a haemophiliac who was infected as a child with Hepatitis B and C. Blood for her transfusion following a tonsillectomy was taken from prisons in the US state of Louisiana.

Speaking on 5 Live's Drive programme, she agrees with the additional interim payments - announced today as being up to £210,000 - because the initial amount of money offered was "far too low".

Colette adds that "everybody's losses are at different levels" and expresses concern about care costs for many victims:

We're continuing to hear from some of the more than 30,000 people directly affected by this scandal, including a woman infected with HIV as a child whose parents were told she would not live beyond the age of 10.

Mel says she wasn't told about it until she was 14 at Sheffield Children's Hospital, where she discovered one of the blood transfusions she had as a child "went wrong".

"I didn't even have a clue what HIV was, what it did to me, how it affected my immune system," she says.

Mel tells BBC Radio 5 Live that she now has specialist support workers to help her live "as healthy a life as possible", but adds her dreams have been taken from "under my feet".

She adds that her dream to work as a paediatric specialist nurse treating children are not possible because of her diagnosis.

Victims could get up to £2.6m in compensationpublished at 16:08 British Summer Time 21 May

16:08 BST 21 May

Jim Reed
Senior Health reporter

The government has just published a document, external setting out more details of the infected blood compensation scheme announced at lunchtime.

It gives a rough idea of the amounts that different individuals can expect to receive as a lump sum.

A person infected with HIV, for example, can expect to receive between £2.2m and £2.6m in compensation, although the document makes clear these are average ranges rather than upper and lower limits.

Those with a chronic hepatitis C infection, defined as lasting more than six months, could expect to receive between £665,000 and £810,000.

The tables also give examples of compensation awards for the family members of those infected.

The partner of someone infected with HIV who is still alive today, for example, should expect to receive at least £110,000.

As Faisal just noted, there have been reports that the government has earmarked £10bn for the compensation scheme. But Paymaster General John Glen did not set out how much has been allocated earlier.

Answering a question from Labour MP Barbara Keeley, Glen said he could not give her the full cost as two key elements of the scheme are yet to be finalised.

The minister explained these missing elements are the scheme's severity bandings - categories based on how severe an infection is - and the tariffs that which will be used to calculate compensation amount to be to the majority of applicants.

The policy paper on the government's website talks of "proposals" and "illustrative awards" as examples of what victims and their families may receive, but the final scheme will be approved by MPs when the government presents it to Parliament.

Multi-billion pound compensation to be funded by extra borrowingpublished at 15:45 British Summer Time 21 May

15:45 BST 21 May

Faisal Islam
Economics editor

Government sources aren't denying that the total bill for the infected blood compensation could reach £10 billion in total. How will this be funded? In short, by higher borrowing.

They are also pointing to the fact that the intention is to get this money paid quickly. The interim payments of £210,000 and full payments start before the end of the year.

The costs will be treated as a one off cost when the payments are made.

Internally there is some confidence that it will not affect the long-term ability to cut tax (although there are other reasons why that might be a challenge).

The binding government borrowing target, is for five years' time. These payments, large as they are, should have “washed out” of the borrowing figure by then.

The funding is likely to come out of annually managed expenditure for the Department of Health, not the key departmental budget for the NHS.

The infected blood compensation bill should not lead to a squeeze in spending or a tax rise. It will, though, add to the national debt and a little to interest payments.

Many victims have been sharing their stories with the BBC this morning, including one man who went to see his dad after receiving a phone call from him in which he sounded "mad".

Cathal Morrow's father was born with haemophilia and received monthly blood transfusions, contracting hepatitis C before his death in 1994.

After travelling to their home, he found his mum was "sobbing in the kitchen" and his dad had "ground down his teeth so there was nothing left".

"The hopelessness in his eyes will stay with me forever until the day I die," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"We watched him fade away and die," he says.

Cathal adds the compensation money means a lot because he could give it to his children, who never met their grandfather, but acknowledges it would be "tainted by our sadness" at what has happened to the family.

Scotland's First Minister John Swinney has formally apologised on behalf of the Scottish government to everyone who has been infected, or affected, as a result of infected NHS blood or blood products in Scotland.

Around 3,000 people in Scotland were infected by contaminated blood products and transfusions between the 1970's and 1991.

Swinney has said those who contracted HIV or hepatitis endured unimaginable suffering.

He says the government has accepted the moral case for compensation for victims and they are committed to working with the UK Government on the scheme.

You can follow live coverage of the statement in the Scottish Parliament here.

A Lib Dem peer has tabled an amendment in the House of Lords calling for an interim payment to relatives of those who have died and whose compensation claims have not yet been recognised.

Speaking to the BBC's World at One programme, Baroness Sal Brinton says the increase in interim payment amounts and the timetable for main payments are positive developments, even if they are "still quite slow".

However, she adds she is concerned about some elements that weren't mentioned and is particularly worried about those who haven't yet registered.

Brinton says sometimes it's quite complicated for people to "prove that they are entitled" to compensation.

"At the moment I've heard nothing about them being helped," she says.

Baroness Brinton continues by saying "we need clarity on this particular group of people - mainly family members of people who have died".

The government has just published an Infected Blood Compensation Scheme Summary, external, which expands on some of the details we have heard from Paymaster General John Glen this afternoon.

As Glen told the House of Commons earlier today, the scheme will be available both to those infected and affected, and organised through the Infected Blood Compensation Authority (IBCA), which already has an interim chair.

The policy paper establishes eligibility criteria and sets out that people with several claims could be offered multiple injury awards.

As a reminder, we also found out earlier today that the government expects the first final payments to be made before the end of the year.

Image source, Getty Images

If you're just joining us, the details of a new compensation scheme for people affected by the infected blood scandal have been revealed by the government.

With payments due to start before the end of the year, here's a quick look at what we know so far:

• Speaking in Parliament, Cabinet Office Minister John Glen has said a final compensation scheme is being set up and some victims will receive interim payments of £210,000 from the summer
• Payments will be made to people who were directly infected, as well as other people affected by the scandal, including partners and children
• In cases where people who would be entitled to compensation have died, the money will go to their estate

• Speaking from Vienna earlier, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the scandal was a "failure on multiple levels"
• Labour's Nick Thomas-Symonds has said the government's "culture of defensiveness" needs to be replaced, while Liberal Democrat Christine Jardine says compensation needs to be delivered in a timely manner with full transparency

Chairman of new authority applauded by campaignerspublished at 14:44 British Summer Time 21 May

14:44 BST 21 May

Hugh Pym
Health editor

It’s highly significant that Sir Robert Francis has been appointed interim compensation authority chairman.

There was applause from campaigners watching from the public gallery in the House of Commons.

Francis is highly regarded by victims of the blood scandal as he drew up a comprehensive plan for compensation for the public inquiry.

The government failed to take that on at the time and was criticised by the inquiry chair Sir Brian Langstaff.

Francis is also well known as a patient safety advocate, following his highly critical report on the Mid Staffordshire NHS scandal.

A law firm which represents 300 victims at the infected blood scandal is considering the potential for civil legal action, following the government's compensation announcement.

Following the details of interim payments of £210,000 set out by government minister John Glen in the Commons earlier, Gene Matthews from law firm Leigh Day, says he wants his clients to have the "opportunity to consider" what the government has laid out.

He continues by saying the appointment of Sir Robert Francis as the interim chair of the compensation body "is very welcome".

But adds that it is "disappointing" the government "did not take up his recommendations for a compensation scheme more than a year ago".

Plan to merge payments likely to be controversialpublished at 14:07 British Summer Time 21 May

14:07 BST 21 May

Nick Triggle
Health Correspondent

One part of the announcement that will divide opinion is the decision to subsume payments being made under the long-running financial support scheme into compensation payments from 1 April 2025.

These payments are currently being made to 4,000 people – some of those infected and, in cases where they have died while be in receipt of the payments, their partners.

These are the same people who are getting the interim compensation payments.

This, of course, is just a fraction of the estimated 30,000 to have been infected by contaminated blood products.

The payments can be worth more than £40,000 a year to some at the moment and provide vital support, beneficiaries say.

Some had argued those payments should not be counted towards compensation, but Glen argued it would not be fair and he wanted to see parity between those on the scheme and those not when it comes to compensation.

These measures will be consulted on during the coming weeks – so nothing is set in stone. But I suspect this issue will be part of that debate.

Martin Reid was infected with hepatitis C in the early 1980s when he was a small child and was being treated for haemophilia.

He tells Radio Scotland's Lunchtime Live the compensation announcement is "another milestone in this journey to justice"

"The government has accepted that there's a need for compensation and the reason for that is because harms have been done.

"There are certain elements of it that need to be discussed and looked at in further detail, but I think overall on the whole it's just another massive positive step forward.

"I think the fact that there's been a number of different people affected that have never been recognised up until now that were mentioned today, will hopefully give them some hope that justice will be available to them very, very soon."

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

John Glen has confirmed there will be a more wide ranging debate in the Commons next month (after the MPs’ Whitsun recess) on the findings of the Infected Blood Inquiry.

He has resisted calls from the former frontbencher David Davis to fast-track a new duty of candour on the whole of the public service.

Downing Street has said the government will go through the Langstaff report "meticulously" but will respond "as soon as possible".

In his statement, John Glen said full details of the compensation scheme will be published later today on the government's website.

We'll be keeping an eye on it and let you know when it's been made publicly available.

Here's what we know so far about the compensation scheme, following Paymaster General John Glen's statement:

• The government expects the first final payments will be made before the end of 2024
• Further interim payments of £210,000 will be made within 90 days
• Those eligible for interim payments are: living infected beneficiaries, people registered with existing support schemes, those who register with the support scheme before the final compensation scheme becomes operational, and the estates of those who pass away between now and payments being made

• Those who have been infected or affected as a result of the scandal are eligible for the final compensation scheme
• They include people directly or indirectly infected by NHS blood, blood products or tissue contaminated with HIV or hepatitis C, or those who have developed chronic infection from blood contaminated with hepatitis B
• Where an infected person has died, compensation will be paid to their estate
• A new arm's length body - the Infected Blood Compensation Authority - has been set up by the government to administer the compensation scheme
• Barrister Sir Robert Francis will be interim chair of the body

Image source, House of Commons

Conservative MP for Thurrock Dame Jackie Doyle-Price says this was "a grubby secret kept by the Department of Health".

"We need to improve on this how to hold to account," she says as Doyle-Price insists the need to "learn from this episode".

She says the government needs to look at the rules for civil servants to be open and transparent - often referred to as their duty of candour.

Glen replies saying he agrees with her "instinctive reaction", but says looking at civil service rules is something for wider government.

Image source, House of Commons

Labour's Dame Diana Johnson says she wants to remind Glen of the principle of "no decision about us without us", in reference to what she says is the need to engage with the infected blood community going forward.

She asks why only today Parliament is learning the names of the experts advising the government.

Johnson also asks whether the minister can set out whether all 18 recommendations in the inquiry report are being accepted by the government, and how can we ensure the body is accountable to parliament.

On transparency on the experts advising government, Glen says he was "always prepared" to reveal the names but "did not want them to be distracted while doing urgent work".

He says he has been mindful of the principle of the government managing public money, as well as the priorities set out in the report about setting up the arms' length body to restore trust with the community.