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Dr Hilary Pickles did not know the factual basis for the assertion of no negligence.

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A briefing for a meeting between the Prime Minister, Robert Key and the Haemophilia Society repeated the view that patients had received the best available treatment at the time.

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Paul Gray wrote to Alan Davey reiterating that patients had, as far as the Government were concerned, received the best available treatment at the time.

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Roger Freeman stressed that the Department of Health believed patients were offered the best treatment available at the time.

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Professor Geoffrey Rose was critical of the actions of the Department of Health.

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A confidential note to the Chief Secretary of the Treasury showed that there were more than 500 sufferers whose infections with HIV "in principle" might have been contracted after the stage at which hospitals might reasonably have been expected to use different forms of treatment.

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DHSC legal advisors estimated that medical negligence was likely to be established in 20-30 cases, and up to 500 more infections was likely to have occurred at the end of 1984 or in 1985.

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The Sunday Times was sympathetic to the claims for compensation from people with Haemophilia.

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Charles Dobson reported to the Department of Health the ministers' responses and views in relation to the litigation and suggested that the Department should review its position.

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Charles Dobson sent a memo to Mr Davey in relation to the HIV litigation and the Sunday Times campaign.

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Charles Dobson prepared a paper setting out options for making more money available to "the haemophiliacs".

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Kenneth Clarke believed that the court would find in favour of the Government and it should not admit fault.

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Kenneth Clarke did not fundamentally disagree with what Mr Justice Ognall had said, which in his view were the same principles that had led the Government to provide money to the Macfarlane Trust.

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In oral evidence, Lord Clarke said everyone had concluded that an ex gratia payment was the best way of handling the matter: there was "a case for using public funds to make some compensation".

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Kenneth Clarke discussed the matter of non-discretionary payments again with the Prime Minister and payments were increased from £10,000 to £20,000 within an unchanged overall allocation of £20 million.

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The Government paid £24 million to the Macfarlane Trust to be distributed.

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Kate Lee, a solicitor acting for the central defendants, reported that counsel had considered the possibility of sending a letter informing the plaintiffs that if they discontinued against the defendants the Government would forgo its own costs. It was suggested that, viewed with the additional money being made available to the Macfarlane Trust, this "may be seen as a sympathetic gesture."

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A memo from Richard Gutowski to Kate Lee, regarding HIV litigation, expressed unease about writing to plaintiffs informing them that the Government would forgo its own costs if they discontinued against the defendants. It was felt this could be construed as overly aggressive.

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A memo from Charles Dobson to Clive Wilson expressed his view that an open letter warning the plaintiffs about costs of proceedings could be too easily misinterpreted.

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A memo from Donald Acheson to Virginia Bottomley and Kenneth Clarke urged the Government to make an ex-gratia settlement to people with haemophilia infected in relation to the HIV litigation.

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