The Minutes and Resolutions of the previous meeting were approved.

Elaine Motion and David Stevens represented the Trustees at a meeting with the Department of Health on 6th September 2004. The meeting was also attended by solicitors from Irwin Mitchell and Charles Russell. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss some of the issues that Sir Robert would raise with the Secretary of State at a meeting on 25th October 2004. It was reported that there were 149 victims of vCJD as at 4th October 2004, according to the figures on the Department of Health's website. Main Applications had been received in relation to 146 victims. By the end of this meeting, the Trustees will have considered 136 cases on the claims submitted to date. The Trustees had considered a total of 207 claims for £5,000 for psychiatric injury.

£27.6m has been paid in compensation to date. £5.7m has been paid in costs and expenses to date.

The Trustees discussed how the claims for particular financial or emotional hardship should be prepared. John Melville-Williams had prepared a Guidance Note on this, which was approved by the other Trustees. The Guidance can be found in Notes for Preparation of Documents in Support of Claims for Emotional and Financial Hardship. The Trustees were particularly keen that duplication in the presentation of claims should be avoided, and that the documents submitted should be proportionate.

The Trustees considered two new claims, one case with issues in relation to Qualifiers, one case which had been decided previously but had outstanding issues, and 22 claims by family members of 10 victims for the single sum of £5,000 for psychiatric injury lasting longer than a calendar month that has been caused materially aggravated by the fact that the victim has contracted vCJD.