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A briefing document prepared in advance of the lookback exercise announcement outlined that the Government did not accept "that there has been negligence, these patients will have received the best treatment available in the light of medical knowledge at the time. We have no plans to compensate those who may have been infected with Hepatitis C".

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A letter from Baroness Cumberlege, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the House of Lords to John Marshall MP, asserted that most haemophilia patients were infected with Hepatitis C before blood products were heat treated and that they had been given the best available medical treatment at the time.

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A letter from Thomas Sackville (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State) to Winston Churchill MP asserted that most haemophilia patients were infected with Hepatitis C before blood products were heat treated and that they had been given the best available medical treatment at the time.

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A letter from Thomas Sackville (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State) to Ann Winterton MP asserted the Government did not accept any liability or the case for a no fault compensation scheme, reiterating that most haemophilia patients were infected with Hepatitis C before blood products were heat treated and that they had been given the best available medical treatment at the time.

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A briefing note for parliamentary questions stated that the haemophilia patients infected with Hepatitis C received the best medical treatment available at the time, also suggesting that non-A non-B Hepatitis was considered an acceptable side effect of treatment by both physicians and patients.

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Baroness Cumberlege responded to a question from Lord Jack Ashley regarding a compensation scheme for those infected with Hepatitis C, stating that people were given the best available treatment at the time and "As regards haemophiliacs, without the blood they would certainly have died."

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A briefing for the Prime Minister on Hepatitis C stated that while "a lookback exercise had been put in place, there were no plans to compensate those infected with hepatitis C, adding that the BBC Panorama programme "Bad Blood" would have "needlessly alarmed many thousands of people who have received blood transfusions that carried no risk of hepatitis C whatsoever".

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A background note prepared within the Department of Health regarding the Haemophilia Society's campaign for compensation of those infected with Hepatitis C through contaminated blood products, stated that not all medical treatments were risk free and that if payments were offered the government would soon slip into a general no-fault compensation scheme.

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In a "Hansard" extract regarding the McFarlane Trust, Baroness Cumberlege was reported as saying that not all medical treatments were risk free and that if payments were offered the government would soon slip into a general no-fault compensation scheme.

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A note from Roger Scofield to Mr Abrahams asserted that "Ministers have denied that the Department have been in any way negligent and indeed the Haemophilia Society representatives have been at pains to make clear that their campaign is not in any way based on such a charge. Those patients who were infected were given the best treatment available at the time."

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In a letter from Gwilym Jones, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Welsh Office, to the father of a son infected with Hepatitis C it was stated that the Government made no plans to make payments to individuals with Hepatitis C.

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The Department of Health line to take continued to be that "Haemophilia patients received the best treatment available in the light of the medical knowledge at the time."

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In his letter to Rachel Squire MP, Lord Fraser QC noted that he believed most haemophilia patients were infected with Hepatitis C before blood products were used to destroy viruses and received the best treatment available in light of medical knowledge at the time.

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In his letter to Seamus Mallon MP, Malcolm Moss, Minister for Health and Social Services in Northern Ireland, asserted that patients had received the best treatment available in light of medical knowledge at this time.

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In his letter to Reverend Dr Ian Paisley, Malcolm Moss, Minister for Health and Social Services in Northern Ireland, asserted that patients had received the best treatment available in light of medical knowledge at the time.

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In his letter to Peter Robinson MP, Malcolm Moss, Minister for Health and Social Services in Northern Ireland, asserted that patients had received the best treatment available in light of medical knowledge at the time.

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In his minute to Welsh Ministers, Peter Davenport from the Health Services Division in the Welsh Office repeated the line "patients received the best treatment at the time".

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In his letter to Ann McIwrath, John Breen asserted that patients received the best treatment available in light of medical knowledge at the time.

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In his witness statement, John Breen stated that the Government's position towards the financial support for those infected with Hepatitis C was informed by the stencil letter from the NHS Executive.

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Leonard Levy, NHS Executive, provided John Breen, Department of Health and Social Services Northern Ireland, Sandra Falconer, the Scottish Office and Gareth Brydon, the Welsh Office, with approved draft letters to assist with responding to enquiries about haemophilia patients infected with Hepatitis C.

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