§ Mr. KeetchTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions in each year since 1990 his Department received complaints from service personnel or their families of medical negligence by military medical staff, stating in each case(a) whether the complaint was upheld by his Department in the first instance, (b) whether the complaint was upheld after recourse to legal proceedings and (c) how much compensation was paid; and if he will make a statement. [138289]
§ Dr. MoonieA central record of complaints from service personnel and their families alleging medical negligence is kept only of those cases where compensation is being sought. However, prior to 1996–97 such claims were not recorded separately from other common law claims for compensation. The vast majority of the claims detailed in the table have been the subject of legal proceedings, but this does not necessarily mean that they were all heard in court. The majority of claims are settled amicably on a legal liability basis without recourse to the courts. The payment of compensation does not necessarily occur in the financial year that the claim was received.
gun now has only a minimal operational utility, and this is outweighed by its support, fatigue and training cost implications.
§ Dr. Julian LewisTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is concerning a ground attack role for Eurofighter Typhoon. [137905]
§ Mr. HoonEurofighter will be a multi-role aircraft, able to carry both air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry. Its priority role, however, remains air-to-air. With Tornado GR4 and Harriers continuing in-service for many years, there is less immediate need to arm Eurofighter for its air-to-ground role at its entry into service. Existing plans progressively to enhance Eurofighter's capability in both air-to-air and air-to-ground roles, from its entry into service onwards, remain unchanged.