§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how much he estimates it will cost his Department in the current financial year for payments that arise from claims of compensation for medical negligence.
§ Mr. FreemanFor 1990–91 the cost of payments in compensation for medical negligence by hospital doctors is estimated at £50 million for the United Kingdom. Not all of this will be met by health authorities. On 1 January 1990 the financial responsibility for this compensation was transferred from the medical defence organisations to the National Health Service. Because hospital doctors in the National Health Service are no longer required to subscribe to a medical defence organisation, English health authorities have about £27 million (£34 million United Kingdom) available in 1990–91 from the contributions made by them as employers to doctors' subscriptions.
In addition, under the arrangements for the transfer of financial responsibility the medical defence organisations have set up funds from their reserves which health authorities can draw on to help meet the cost of the more substantial cases which should enable the cost to be kept within the original provision for subscriptions.
§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many brain-damaged children have been awarded compensation for medical negligence in the past five years; what has been the average size of award in each year: and what have been the highest and lowest awards.
§ Mr. FreemanThis information is not available centrally.