Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:36 pm on 25 January 2017.
I’m grateful to the Member for making that intervention, and she’s absolutely right, of course, that what we want is a full, a complete, inquiry. We’ve waited long enough to get the answers to the questions that we ask. I’m grateful that that point has been made. Inquiries that we have seen in Scotland have been useful in terms of the compensation structure, but it’s not enough in itself.
Yn dilyn ymchwiliad Penrose yn yr Alban yn 2005, mi gyflwynodd Llywodraeth yr SNP system newydd well a thecach o gefnogaeth ariannol, am eu bod nhw’n credu bod gan Lywodraeth yr Alban gyfrifoldeb moesol i wneud hynny. Gadewch i ni yma hefyd gefnogi galwadau am ymchwiliad, ond un llawnach, fel cam tuag at roi’r gefnogaeth haeddiannol i ddioddefwyr yng Nghymru hefyd, yn ogystal â’u teuluoedd.
Gadewch imi ddyfynnu un o’m hetholwyr i, sydd â’i wraig, Jennifer, yn dioddef o hepatitis C. Mi gafodd ei heintio yn y 1970au. Dyma a ddywedodd o:
‘In the 14 years since she has become ill, she’s been unable to do most of the things she did before. In the early days, she was so debilitated that she could not cook; could walk only a short distance; could not drive; found it difficult to understand basic things; she needed help washing and dressing. She has improved slowly, but 12 years later, she still suffers from chronic fatigue, usually spending most afternoons asleep. She cannot cope with day-to-day housework and cooking, but she tries to do some, often making mistakes.’
Crucially, he says:
‘In her words, she never has a good day; just bad or very bad’.
I’ve met Jennifer and her husband on a number of occasions. I’ve been struck by their dignity; dignity in the face of what they have had to endure in terms of their health and in the face of an unjust compensation structure, and of too many unanswered questions. Seventy of the 283 contaminated in Wales are no longer with us. You’ve seen their names in the Chamber today. We owe it to them and we owe it to all those still living with the consequences of the contaminated blood scandal to seek answers, once and for all. For justice, support today’s motion.