30 June 2022: Hooper - D

Core participant questions:

On her knowledge of how blood products were obtained; she said she noticed from reading the papers sent by the Inquiry the apparent need to import blood/products to fill a shortfall.

On the prosecutions in France; she said she was not aware of these at the time, but has since been told about it in connection with the Inquiry.

On briefings she received; she said it was assumed these were accurate.

On the information given to Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland to introduce screening for HCV; she said she didn’t remember, nor did she think there were direct discussions with equivalences in Scotland, etc. If there had been a major disagreement, she expected that would have been addressed between Ministers.

On the Council of Europe recommendations being considered; she said she expected these would be considered but had no recollections of any matters related to her Ministership in Health. These were recommendations only, so didn’t carry the same weight as matters with a legal requirement to address.

The Chair had no questions for the witness.

The witness had some final comments. She hoped that the outcome and recommendations of the Inquiry will help all those who have suffered and that it will cause an improvement in patients safety generally. She thanked everyone involved in preparing her for her appearance, and the support from the Inquiry staff. She re-iterated her sympathy and hoped nothing like it would ever happen again.

The Chair thanked the witness for her kind remarks and her evidence which would contribute to the work of the Inquiry.

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