Archive

25 March 2015

Publication of Final Report

The Final Report of the Penrose Inquiry is published today. You can read the report in full here:

Penrose Inquiry Final Report

Lord Penrose's statement on the publication of the Final Report can be found here: Lord Penrose's statement [PDF - 119Kb]

If you would like to request a copy of the Final Report, Executive Summary or DVD of the full report, please contact us at info@penroseinquiry.org.uk

Facts and Figures

Key facts and figures about the Penrose Inquiry can be found here: Facts and Figures document - March 2015 [PDF - 51Kb]

March 2015

Publication of Final Report

The Final Report of the Penrose Inquiry will be published on Wednesday 25 March 2015.

To mark the publication of the Report, a launch event will be held on 25 March in the Auditorium at the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, starting at 11am. Those attending should access the Museum by the Lothian Street entrance. Please see map:

National Museum of Scotland - directions [PDF - 153Kb]

Anyone requiring assistance with disabled access, please call 0131-528 5221.

The launch will be open to Core Participants to the Inquiry and interested members of the public, as well as members of the media.

The Inquiry is disappointed to announce that Lord Penrose is seriously ill in hospital and will be unable to attend the event.

Maria McCann, Secretary to the Inquiry, will deliver Lord Penrose's statement on his behalf.

Copies of the Final Report and its Executive Summary will be available at the conclusion of the event.

Anyone requiring assistance with disabled access, please call 0131-528 5221.

For more information see media note:
Press Release 15 January 2015 [PDF - 25Kb]

23 December 2014

Warning Letters

The warning letters process is now complete. A publication date for Lord Penrose's Final Report will be announced in January 2015 when the Scottish Parliament returns from recess.

29 September 2014

Relocation

The Scottish Legal Aid Board is relocating so the Inquiry team has been required to move out of the offices in Drumsheugh Gardens. We have moved to Victoria Quay. From Monday 29th September our new address will be:

Victoria Quay
Area 2J South
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ

Contact telephone numbers remain unchanged.

Final Report

The warning letters process is not yet complete. An update on the date of publication for the Final Report will be provided once the warning letters process is finished.

August 2014

On behalf of Lord Penrose, I can report that good progress is being made in relation to the warning letters associated with the Final Report. Three batches have been issued. However, the process is not yet concluded. Two further batches of letters have still to be issued. Subject to the team progressing with the warning letter process at the anticipated rate, the Final Report will be published in the autumn of this year. A date for publication will be announced when the warning letters process is complete.

Maria McCann
Secretary to the Inquiry

May 2014

Final Report

On behalf of Lord Penrose, I am able to advise that the first batch of warning letters arising from the Final Report has been issued. It is expected that there will be two further batches. Another progress report will be issued at the end of May 2014 when, subject to the warning letters process being complete, Lord Penrose expects to be in a position to announce a publication date for the Final Report.

E-mail contacts

Recently, a couple of people have sent in enquiries through our website giving email addresses that failed when we responded. This has meant that we have not been able to successfully send a reply. If you have contacted us and not received a reply, please get in touch again. We have amended the website so it now requires email addresses to be provided twice in order to check for accuracy.

Core Participants

Lord Penrose has designated a number of organisations and individuals as core participants. Please follow the link below to see the current list:

List of Core Participants [DOC - 28Kb]

For a full explanation of the designation of core participants and their anonymity, please follow the link below:

Note on Designation of Core Participants [DOC - 63Kb]

Preliminary Report

Lord Penrose has published his Preliminary Report which can be found at the link below:
Penrose Inquiry Preliminary Report

Lord Penrose has invited comment on the draft list of topics for examination at public hearings, which can be found in chapter 1 following on from paragraph 1.70, by 31 October 2010. You will also find a link to the draft list of topics below. If you have any comments please write to:

Maria McCann
Secretary to the Inquiry
44 Drumsheugh Gardens
Edinburgh
EH3 7SW

Or email:
info@penroseinquiry.org.uk

The draft list of topics for examination at oral hearings can be found here: Draft list of topics for examination at oral hearings [DOC - 26Kb]

Updated guidance for patients and relatives

Lord Penrose has issued updated guidance for patients and relatives about the time available to finalise written statements. For more details please clik on the link below.

Guidance for patients and relatives on timing for finalised written statements [DOC - 24Kb]

July 2013

Additional Submission

An additional submission on the topic of statistics has been received from the Haemophilia Society, patients and relatives. Please follow this link and go to the foot of the page: Closing Submissions

6 October 2011

Public Hearings - Additional Topic

In response to representations from core participants, Lord Penrose has decided to add an additional topic for examination during the next phase of hearings, scheduled to commence on 6 September 2011:

C3a) The use of blood product concentrates in Scotland in the period between the introduction of NHS heat treated products in 1984 and the supply of NHS products sufficiently treated to inactivate Hepatitis C

For the full list of topics, please follow this link:
List of Topics for Public Hearings [DOC - 30Kb]

16 June 2010

Updated Guidance for Patients and Relatives

Lord Penrose has issued updated guidance for patients and relatives about the time available to finalise written statements. For more details please click on the link below.

Guidance for patients and relatives on timing for finalised written statements [DOC - 24Kb]

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20 February 2010

Guidance for Providing a Witness Statement

Some additional information is now available for anyone who is interested in providing a witness statement or has agreed to make a statement to the Inquiry. If you, or someone in your family, has contracted HIV or Hepatitis C from blood or blood products administered by the NHS in Scotland, you may wish to make a statement. These documents aim to provide helpful advice. Please click on a link to download a copy.

Leaflet - I have been asked to provide a witness statement - What should I expect? [DOC - 359Kb]

Guidance on Providing a Witness Statement [DOC - 50Kb]

19 November 2009

New Procedural Direction

Lord Penrose has issued the following direction: Inquiry Procedure Direction No 3.1 - Applications for legal representation at public expense.

The Direction together with an application form are available in the Procedures section of this website. They replace the previous Inquiry Procedure Direction No 3 - applications for legal representation at public expense, which applied only to those providing a witness statement or documents during Phase 1 of the Inquiry. The new procedure direction applies not only to persons providing a witness statement and/or documents to the Inquiry, but also to those claiming such a particular interest in the Inquiry as to justify the funding of their legal representation at public expense.

Click here for a Word version of the application form.

Click here for a PDF version of the application form.

Click here to contact the Inquiry Secretary for further information or hard copies of the direction and/or application form.

Amended Terms of Reference

Lord Penrose has agreed to a request from Nicola Sturgeon, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, to investigate three further deaths as part of the Inquiry. These are in addition to the deaths of the Reverend David Black and Mrs Eileen O’Hara, which are already within the Inquiry’s terms of reference. As a consequence, term of reference number 6 has been amended to:

‘To investigate the deaths of Reverend David Black, Mrs Eileen O’Hara, Alexander Black Laing, Neil Mullen and Victor Tamburrini, with particular reference to the circumstances in which they became infected with the Hepatitis C virus, HIV or both.’

The full Terms of Reference can be found at:
www.penroseinquiry.org.uk/terms-of-reference

The below form has now been superseded by application form 3.1, which can be found in the Procedures section of the website.

Procedure Direction No 3 [DOC - 72Kb]- Applications for legal representation at public expense for providing a witness statement or documents during Phase 1 of the Inquiry [DOC - 68Kb]

30 September 2009

Lord Penrose hopes that more people who have been affected, and their relatives, will come forward to give statements. Anyone who contracted Hepatitis C or HIV through receiving blood or blood products administered by the NHS in Scotland, or their family members, can make a statement to the inquiry team. Lord Penrose also asks anyone with any relevant documents to consider making them available to the inquiry.

The Penrose Inquiry team has sent out posters and leaflets to all GP surgeries, all community pharmacies and all Haemophilia Centres in Scotland to raise awareness of the inquiry.

We are grateful for the help and co-operation we have received from contacts across Scotland.

The poster invites people who contracted Hepatitis C and/or HIV through receiving blood or blood products administered by the NHS in Scotland, or members of their families, to come forward to make a statement to the inquiry team.

Click here to download a pdf version of the poster if you wish to display it.

25 August 2009

A number of witnesses have responded to Lord Penrose's call for evidence and statement taking is underway. Most witnesses have preferred to discuss their statements in their own homes but some have visited the inquiry offices in Edinburgh.

Lord Penrose said in his opening statement at the Preliminary Hearing held on 31 March: 'The only way this inquiry will be able to assess the impact of infection and the consequences for individuals and families involved will be through (their) contributions'.

The Right Honourable Lord Penrose