§ Mr. Nicholas WintertonTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has any plans, in the light of the Opren case, to propose amendments to the law relating to medical negligence.
§ Mr. NewtonWe have no plans to amend the law in the light of the Opren case, still before the court, where allegations of negligence and liability have been neither admitted by the defendants nor determined by the court. Under the relevant provisions of the Consumer Protection Act 1987, which come into force on 1 March 1988, it will no longer be necessary for an individual to prove negligence in order to establish liability in a case where a court is satisfied that a defect in a medicinal product caused personal injury.