§ Mr. Tom ClarkeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she has considered in response to the 1994 report of the Thalidomide Trust National Advisory Council, with particular reference to the actuarial projections on the life of the trust. [24972]
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§ Mr. SackvilleThe Government have not been asked to respond to this report. Representations have, however, been made by Thalidomide disabled people that the moneys held by the Thalidomide Trust are insufficient to meet their needs, and the Government have brought these concerns to the attention of the trust. The Government welcome the further financial help promised by Guinness plc to secure the future of the Thalidomide Trust and underpin the beneficiaries' needs, but have made it clear that adequacy of the settlement with Distillers—now Guinness—is not a matter in which the Government can intervene.