More aid for childhood jab victims

Children left disabled by routine vaccinations for diseases such as whooping cough and measles are to get increased payments from the government. After a 20-year campaign by the families of children who suffered mental and physical handicaps through inoculations, Alistair Darling, the social security secretary, yesterday announced a £60m boost to the aid package.

One-off payments to new victims will be more than doubled, to reach £100,000, while the families of 900 children who have already had cash will get lump-sum payments of up to £67,000 to pay for nursing and equipment.

The move follows a two-year review of the vaccine damage payment scheme, set up in 1979 and criticised by campaigners as wholly inadequate. Families of vaccine-damaged children have recently stepped up their campaign to press ministers to reach a new settlement, although government efforts to press drug companies to contribute towards the fund have failed.
The package represents only an extension to the payments scheme, rather than the compensation programme sought by the campaigners.

Mr Darling told MPs: "The government recognises that caring for people who have suffered damage puts a considerable burden on their families and carers. Nothing can make up for what has happened to these children, but we have a clear duty to support them and their families."

He acknowledged on Radio 4's PM programme that pharmaceutical companies had resisted pressure to contribute. "Earlier this year we did think about trying to set up a trust fund jointly with ourselves and the pharmaceutical industry. The reply was, I am afraid, very, very reluctant."
Under further concessions, the time limit for making claims will be extended, and the "disability threshold" which victims must cross before getting payments will be lowered from 80% to 60% disability.

Campaigners yesterday welcomed the announcement, but questioned whether the cash would cover the costs of care for severely disabled children.

Ann Coote, a founder member of the campaign group, Justice, Awareness and Basic Support, whose daughter was disabled by a measles, mumps and rubella vaccination, said: "Any increase and acknowledgement that vaccine-damaged children exist and need help has got to be beneficial. But there will still be children who do not qualify for help. We need to look at the fine print to see if those previously turned down can reapply."

Ian Stewart, Labour MP for Eccles, who has led the campaign on behalf of vaccine-damaged children, said: "This will be welcomed - this isn't just about the individual who's damaged, it's a whole family issue. These proposals go a long way towards meeting the immediate help for those families."

But he added that the issue of compensation, rather than just the payments scheme, now needed to be addressed.

Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, who has also campaigned on the issue, said: "There is an indisputable need for the creation of a medical injuries compensation board to oversee a system which guarantees timely payment of no-fault compensation to those injured as a result of NHS treatment or care."