HARMAN COMMITS GOVERNMENT TO RESPONDING TO ARCHER REPORT - WILLOTT

12.00.00am GMT Thu 5th Mar 2009

Today, during Business Questions in the House of Commons, Leader of the House of Commons, Harriet Harman MP, committed the Government to responding to last week's report from the Archer Inquiry into how thousand of haemophiliacs were infected with HIV or Hepatitis C during the late 1970s and '80s through contaminated NHS blood products.

As the Inquiry was not backed by the Government, the Department of Health are not obliged to respond to the Archer Report. In answer to Parliamentary Questions, the Department of Health has refused to commit to responding to the Archer report and its recommendations.

Miss Harman also said today that the Government would consider holding a debate in the House of Commons on the issue.

Commenting, Jenny Willott, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Cardiff Central and leading Parliamentary campaigner for Tainted Blood justice, said:

"This will be extremely welcome news for all those who continue to suffer daily from this appalling saga.

"The prospect of a debate on the floor of the Commons is particularly promising. It seems that the Government may finally be prepared to talk openly about this terrible health disaster.

"The Government must now commit to implementing Lord Archer's recommendations in full so that the surviving victims are properly cared for, and the lessons of the past can be used to inform future blood safety policy."