§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what information he has on the average duration of court cases involving claims for compensation for medical negligence affecting children born with disabilities, during each year since 1987.
Mr. John M. TaylorThe information is not available and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps have been undertaken by his Department to date to speed up the process of dealing with claims for compensation for medical negligence in the courts affecting children born with a disability.
Mr. John M. TaylorOver the last two years a number of jurisdictional, procedural and administrative changes have been introduced with the aim of reducing delay in case progress. These were not designed specifically for medical negligence cases, but such cases will have benefited from new regulations which include the early exchange of more information, including medical reports and other witness' evidence, serving proceedings within four rather than 12 months and allowing courts to deal with the question of liability in advance of the question of quantum.