An independent inquiry has heavily criticised suppliers and the government for errors made resulting in thousands of people being infected with HIV and hepatitis C from contaminated blood.

The Archer public inquiry which looked in to the victims and families of people who have had their lives decimated by ill-health for up to two decades after they were given 'bad blood' said compensation for victims should be improved.

Many Britons believe that although an apology is long overdue and much wanted, financial support is vital for those who lost either their jobs or health insurance.

The inquiry has criticised the fact that those who addressed the failings did not put a figure on the financial assistance required by families who lost the breadwinners.

However, the report says that compensation equivalent to that offered by the Irish Government estimated at 400,000 Euros per person should be a starting point. It points out that money should not be assessed on a means tested basis, but on the facts of each individual’s case.

It is thought that more than 4,000 people were affected by ‘bad blood’ and the compensation required could run in the billions.

Lord Morris of Manchester, who first called for an inquiry in December 1988, set up the privately-funded review after successive governments refused to hold a public inquiry.

However, the haemophilia community, and the wider public, are concerned about the way in which NHS treatment errors is currently addressed.