Solicitor Advocate Frank Maguire of Thompsons Solicitors has helped campaigners win the pledge of a public inquiry into Hepatitis C cases from infected blood supplies.
Cabinet Secretary for Health, Nicola Sturgeon decided today to hold a full public inquiry into the scandal of thousands of Scots who contracted Hepatitis C from contaminated blood supplies.
She gave her decision at a meeting with campaigners including Philip Dolan, Chairman of the Scottish Haemophilia Group's Forum and Frank Maguire, Senior Partner with Thompsons Solicitors who represents hundreds of the victims and their families.
Philip Dolan said: "We welcome the decision to hold an Inquiry, having campaigned since 1999 and met with three previous Health Ministers to no avail. The speed and recognition of the need for this inquiry is a matter for which Nicola Sturgeon should be congratulated. We look forward to working with her in helping her with the remit."
Mr Maguire said: "This is really tremendous news for all those victims who have been battling for years to find out the truth about a scandal which has claimed so many lives. The previous Minister had even rejected a call from the Parliament's Health Committee to hold an Inquiry."
"Sadly many of those who contracted Hep C from infected blood transfusions and blood products have died in the meantime.
"But the survivors and the relatives of those who have died have remained committed to forcing a public inquiry.
"At last they have the real prospect of finding out the truth. For them it's not about compensation. It's about knowing why it happened, what could have been done to prevent it, and what lessons have been learned to prevent it happening again.
Mr Maguire has already forced a judicial review into the outgoing Scottish Administration's refusal to order official inquiries into the deaths of two of the victims.
At the meeting at the Scottish Executive's Glasgow offices Ms Sturgeon said she would order an official independent inquiry, and the terms of reference will finally be decided after the privately funded Archer Inquiry's findings into Hep C and HIV infections from NHS blood supplies in England and Wales.
Nicola Sturgeon told the BBC: Nicola Sturgeon: "The Inquiry will be independent and it will be public. I think we have to wait, to see the outcome of the Archer Inquiry in England to decide exactly what the scope and nature of the remit should be. But I undertook to engage with them (the campaigners) further at the appropriate time, about that. "