HC Deb 15 March 1994 vol 239 c567W
Mr. Darling

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many public interest immunity certificates she has signed in each year since 1990.

Mr. Sackville

Two. One was signed in relation to confidential policy formation documents relevant to listeria litigation and the other was to protect a confidential report into a maternal death which was requested by a solicitor in medical negligence litigation against a health authority. In the first case the court allowed the other party to see the documents and in the second case the application has been withdrawn for the time being following receipt by the solicitors of the signed certificate.