By Nick Martin, people and politics correspondent

Labour say they would spend hundreds of millions of pounds to help secure nearly 3,000 jobs at a steelworks in south Wales.

Workers are being urged to take voluntary redundancy at the Port Talbot steel plant as owners Tata Steel plan to shut down the two remaining blast furnaces so that a new, environmentally friendly electric arc furnace can be built. 

Tata, which claims to be losing £1m a day, says it is the only option to secure steelmaking in the area.

The new furnace will cost £1.25bn, with the UK government agreeing to pay £500m towards its construction.  

But Labour's shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds has urged the plant’s Indian owners to consider keeping one of the blast furnaces open while the new one is built, saving the 2800 jobs. This is something the unions agree with.

Asked about the cost to the taxpayer, Mr Reynolds said Labour would commit "multi-hundred million pound commitment" to save jobs.

We've been reporting this lunchtime on the government's plans to compensate those affected by the infected blood scandal.

A new authority is being set up to manage payouts - the last of which should have begun by the end of this year.

In the meantime, there will be interim payments of £210,000.

Our deputy political editor Sam Coates says this is the beginning of a process "that will take some months".

But while there was "some pressure" from MPs in the Commons "to make sure this gets under way quicker", there is still "a good deal of cross-party consensus" behind the government's plan.

While a total cost wasn't announced, we believe it to be around £10bn.

Separately, Sam notes some MPs are still concerned about the "wider shame" surrounding the scandal - "that there effectively was a cover-up" within the NHS and Department of Health.

Sir David Davis, a Conservative, was among those to suggest there should be a legally-enforceable "duty of candour" on civil servants to help ensure this sort of thing doesn't happen again.

The paymaster general was non-committal on that (see 13.25 post).

John Glen, the paymaster general, has just unveiled details of the government's compensation scheme for victims of the infected blood scandal.

One critical question victims wanted answered regarded the payments - and when exactly they will land in the pockets of those eligible.

We learned the final payments will begin before the end of the year, but, pressed, the minister was unable to give a more specific timeline.

These will be provided to those eligible in either a lump sum or periodical payments, and will be exempt from income, capital gains and inheritance tax.

They will also not impact means tested benefits assessments.

However, in the meantime, the government has confirmed further interim payments of £210,000 which will be delivered within 90 days, starting in the summer.

These "will be made to living infected beneficiaries, those registered with existing infected blood support schemes, as well as those who register with the support scheme before the final scheme becomes operational, and the estates of those who pass away between now and payments being made".

The government has announced compensation for victims of the infected blood scandal will be awarded with respect to five categories.

They were recommended in the report published by Sir Brian Langstaff, who chaired the inquiry into the scandal.

The categories are:

• An injury impact award, acknowledging the physical and mental injury caused by infection;
• A social impact award to address stigma or social isolation;
• An autonomy award, acknowledging how family and private life was disrupted by infection;
• A care award to compensate past and future care needs for victims;
• A financial loss award to cover past and future financial losses.

Paymaster General John Glen said the care award will be "directly awarded to the person with the infection, or their estate", and the "financial loss award" will go either directly to the infected person, or their estate if they have died.

These awards will be offered in a lump sum, or as periodical payments.

With the floor opened to backbench MPs, senior Tory MP Sir David Davis takes to his feet.

He says the "duty of candour" mentioned by Sir Brian Langstaff's infected blood report should be "legally enforceable" for the entire public service, "not just some promise".

Mr Davis points to a clause in the Victims and Prisoners Bill, and asks if it can be expanded "to cover the whole of the public sector under all circumstances".

In response, paymaster general John Glen says he "recognises" Mr Davis's point, but says it "wouldn't be the right step" to look at this in a short timeframe.

But, he adds, "I do think it would be right for us to urgently engage with him to ensure the government comes up with the right response to the very sensible point Sir Brian has made".

What is the Victims and Prisoners Bill?

The Victims and Prisoners Bill aims to "fundamentally transform victims' experience of the criminal justice system", ministers have said.

The government has promised to put a code of practice into law to support victims, as well as giving the Ministry of Justice the power to inspect agencies failing them, and to create better oversight of all those involved with their treatment.

Victims will be entitled to challenge decisions to not charge or continue a prosecution, receive information on how their case is progressing, and be signposted to relevant support services.

Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Labour MP for Tofaen, is now responding to details of the infected blood compensation scheme, which were just confirmed by the government.

He begins by joining the prime minister with a "deep and heartfelt" apology to those affected by the scandal, which he describes as "one of the gravest injustices in our history".

The MP says: "One of the most powerful conclusions in this report is an apology is only meaningful if it is accompanied by action."

He welcomes the further interim payments announced by John Glen (see previous post) and repeats Labour's commitment to "work on a cross-party basis to help deliver the compensation scheme and get the money, the final money, to victims as soon as possible".

Mr Thomas-Symonds asks about potential criminal charges, asking if the minister can "ensure that all relevant evidence is made available for consideration by the prosecuting authorities".

Responding, paymaster general Mr Glen says: "I totally embrace the need to continue the dialogue with victims, and that's why I was very pleased that Sir Robert Francis agreed to take on this role, having done the study into the compensation."

Sir Robert will be interim chair of the Infected Blood Compensation Authority.

John Glen, the paymaster general, has provided details of a compensation scheme for victims of the infected blood scandal.

It had been widely reported that the cost could surpass £10bn, though the minister didn't put a number on it.

He began by reiterating the prime minister's apology to the 30,000 people affected by the scandal, before detailing the compensation scheme (this post was updated live):

• Mr Glen says the government will establish the Infected Blood Compensation Authority. This will administer the compensation scheme, with Sir Robert Francis as its interim chair;
• The minister reiterates those who have been directly or indirectly infected by NHS blood and blood products, or have developed a chronic infection from blood contaminated with hepatitis B, will be eligible to claim;
  
• Where an eligible person has died, Mr Glen explains, "compensation will be paid to their estate"; 
• He adds that affected loved ones will also be able to apply for compensation "in their own right" - such as partners, parents, siblings, children, friends, and family who have acted as carers to those infected;
• The minister explains "anyone already registered with one of the existing infected blood support schemes will automatically be considered eligible for compensation";
• It is proposed that compensation will be awarded in line with five categories: an injury impact award, a social impact award, an autonomy award, a care award and a financial loss award;
• However, the "care award will be directly awarded to the person with the infection, or their estate", and the "financial loss award" will go either directly to the infected person, or their estate if they have died; 
• He adds that awards to living infected or affected people "will be offered in a lump sum, or periodical payments"; 
  
• The minister confirms that these payments will be exempt from income, capital gains and inheritance tax, and disregarded from means tested benefits assessments;
• The government's expectation is that final payments will start before the end of the year;
  
• He also confirms further interim payments ahead of the establishment of the full scheme, with payments of £210,000 to be made to "living infected beneficiaries" as well as those who register with a support scheme;
• These will be "delivered in 90 days, starting in the summer", he says.

We're expecting to hear the government's paymaster general outline compensation for victims of the infected blood scandal at 12.30pm.

John Glen will address MPs in the Commons under pressure to, as our deputy political editor Sam Coates puts it, "put [the government's] money where its mouth is".

We're expecting the government to shell out upwards of £10bn, though it's not certain whether Mr Glen will put a precise number on it.

Sam says the government has been "arguing quite hard behind the scenes" over exactly how to manage it all.

But what we will hear from Mr Glen is the government will create a new infected blood compensation authority to assess claims going back to the scandal's very beginning in the 1970s.

Some victims have already received interim payments of about £100,000 each, but the new authority will extend what compensation can be offered for, and the chancellor has "put aside substantial sums".

Sam says it will end up being a "massive payout" when all is said and done.

In the next half hour, details of the compensation scheme for victims of the infected blood scandal will be unveiled in the House of Commons.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak apologised in parliament on Monday after the Infected Blood Inquiry published its final report into the scandal, blaming failures on "successive governments, the NHS, and blood services".

It will fall to Paymaster General John Glen to reveal what compensation package those impacted will now be entitled to.

We expect to hear from him at around 12.30pm - follow live here.

Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, has said he hopes a reform of the welfare system can help "uncover the treasure that is the hidden talent in our country".

In a speech on reforming the benefits system, the work and pensions secretary said: "I want to use the power of welfare reform to uncover the treasure that is the hidden talent in our country, to unleash the potential in communities that have too often been overlooked."

Alongside "tailored and targeted support to boost skills and help recruit people into high-demand sectors", the government also wants to deliver "structural reform" to the welfare system.

In an extended metaphor comparing the benefits system to archaeological discovery, Mr Stride said he wanted to ensure "everyone who is able to work has the best possible chance of staying or returning to employment".

The minister added he was concerned about the economic impact of hidden unemployment, with young people out of work a particular worry for him.

Mr Stride said: "Of particular concern to me is the rise in the number of young people who are out of work because of ill health, which has more than doubled between 2013 and 2023.

"That is far too many people in their prime missing out on the financial, social and health benefits that we know work brings, missing out on that purpose and sense of fulfilment."