The Project

 

Support the Reform of the UK Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme: Advancing Fairness and Preparedness

Established in 1979, the UK Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme (VDPS) was created to build public trust in vaccination programs by providing a one-off tax-free payment (£120,000) to individuals severely injured by vaccines for specified diseases. Crucially, the VDPS payment is not classified as compensation and was originally conceived as an interim measure until a more comprehensive framework could be implemented—a step that has yet to materialize. While the VDPS has been a key safety net, its low success rate—only 1.2% for claims related to COVID-19 vaccines—has raised significant concerns about its fairness and effectiveness.

 

 

UKCVFamily are supporting an interdisciplinary research initiative conducted by independent legal experts to –

1) analyse the shortcomings of the VDPS, and

2) explore alternative frameworks that uphold rigorous eligibility criteria while ensuring fair and adequate compensation for vaccine-injured individuals.

​

As one of Europe’s foremost scholars in product liability, Professor Richard Goldberg (Durham University) brings over two decades of expertise to the project. He is the author of authoritative treatises and monographs on the intersection of product liability, medicine, and risk. A leading voice on vaccine damage and liability reform, Professor Goldberg’s work delves into defectiveness, causation, and pharmacovigilance. His insights, published in leading legal journals have laid a robust foundation for rethinking vaccine damage compensation schemes.

​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Emmanuelle Lemaire (University of Essex) is an emerging authority in vaccine-injury compensation law, with her research featured in esteemed journals across France and the UK. Her comparative study of French and English responses to serial health risks, including vaccine injury, earned high recognition, and her findings have been shared at conferences in Durham, Lyon, Tokyo, and Madrid, where she has presented innovative ideas for reforming systems like the VDPS.

Together, Professor Goldberg and Dr. Lemaire bring their extensive expertise and international perspectives to advance reform of the VDPS.

​