§ Mr. MalinsTo ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 2 July 1999,Official Report, columns 399–400, on clinical negligence, what was the nature of the comparison made by the NHS Executive between the costs of commercial versus public sector insurance for clinical negligence risks; when it was carried out; what was the indicative margin between NHS-provided clinical negligence insurance premiums and comparable commercial cover; and if he will list the features of NHS-provided clinical negligence cover that cannot be provided by commercial insurers. [92108]
§ Mr. Denham[holding answer 20 July 1999]: The decision to establish the clinical negligence scheme for NHS trusts as a voluntary risk pooling scheme took account of the fact that no established commercial insurance arrangements were available for clinical negligence. As I said in my answer of 2 July 1999, Official Report, columns 399–400, the NHS Executive has consistently discouraged trusts from using commercial insurance for clinical negligence risks on value for money grounds.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost to the NHS of clinical negligence claims, indicating separately the cost of legal fees, for 1997–98; and what is the estimated cost for 1998–99. [92112]
§ Mr. DenhamClinical negligence costs charged to expenditure in the 1997–98 summarised accounts for the National Health Service in England amounted to £144 million. Information on the cost of legal fees is not available. Accounts for 1998–99 are not yet available.
§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid by NHS trusts in premiums for clinical negligence cover through the clinical negligence scheme for trusts for the latest year for which data is available. [92305]
§ Mr. DenhamThe amount charged to National Health Service trusts in 1998–99 was approximately £15.2 million.