HC Deb 07 April 2003 vol 403 c104W
David Wright

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the health service budget is used to settle cases of malpractice. [106849]

Mr. Lammy

Information on the amounts used to settle claims for malpractice is not collected centrally.

According to the National Audit Office summarised accounts 2001–02, for the National Health Service (England), expenditure for claims and associated costs for clinical negligence was £446 million.

The proportion of health service budget used to settle clinical negligence cases is 0.9 per cent.