SG and Department of Health and Social Care - financial parity meetings: FOI release

Information requested

You wrote:

“I’m aware that there was a telephone discussion with Jackie Doyle Price on the 17th May, but this was only an initial discussion. Today’s date is the 12th June. Therefore can I ask, under FOISA, has there been any further meetings between either Jackie Doyle-Price, the Cabinet office or the Department of Health and Social Care with the Scottish Government related to financial parity? If so, what has been discussed?”

Response

For your clarification, the meeting on 17 May 2019 was with officials from the Department of Health and Social Care and did not personally include Jackie Doyle-Price MP.     

The answer to your questions are:

1. Scottish Government officials have been involved in one further meeting by telephone (on 7 June 2019) with officials from the Department of Health and Social Care, Cabinet Office, the Welsh Government and the Northern Irish administration on the subject of infected blood support scheme parity. 
2. In this meeting, officials discussed the general principles to be considered to help steer discussions.  Officials compared and contrasted the four schemes in the UK, discussed a possible UK-wide consultation which could be carried out if agreement were reached and discussed next steps to prepare for a future ministerial meeting.

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