Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme 2025-10-21
2025-10-21
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
Mr Bedford referenced a constituent, Kelly Hatfield, who lost her father Ken Purnell due to the COVID-19 vaccination. The family received a vaccine damage payment that has not been inflation-adjusted since 2007.
My constituent Kelly Hatfield sadly lost her father Ken Purnell as a result of the covid-19 vaccination. The family received a vaccine damage payment, yet the sum, which has not increased since 2007, falls short of the loss, trauma and long-term financial impact on these families. Will the Minister explain why that one-off payment has not been inflation-adjusted and will she commit to reviewing its adequacy and fairness?
The vaccine damage payment scheme is not a compensation scheme but a one-off payment. It is important to state that. As I have said, we recognise that there are concerns, which campaigners have raised, and their input is shaping our ongoing consideration of reforms to the scheme. All vaccines in the UK are authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, which is an independent body recognised globally for its high safety standards.
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Assessment & feedback
The minister did not provide a specific commitment to review the adequacy of the payment or adjust it for inflation.
This Labour Government Base Our Decisions On Scientific Fact, Unlike Reform, Which Has Still Not Apologised For Platforming Dangerous Anti-Vax Conspiracy Theories. I Can Only Assume That It Is Less Interested In Protecting People Than It Is In Alarming Folk For Political Advantage.
Response accuracy