§ Mr. GarnierTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the findings of(a) his Department's regional office inquiry commissioned by Professor Lindsay Davies and chaired by Dr. Margaret Bamford, (b) the General Medical Council's investigation and (c) the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust inquiry into the professional conduct of and treatment of his patients by Dr. Andrew Holton with particular reference to (i) the independence of the inquiry teams and (ii) their prior knowledge of or professional connections with Dr. Holton and his work; and if he will make a statement; [177472]
(2) what assessment he has made of the evidence given to the Bamford Inquiry by Dr. Mark Anthony Edgar; and if he will make a statement. [177473]
§ Dr. Ladyman[holding answer 7 June 2004]: The independent inquiry panel members were chosen specifically because they had no connection with this issue, Dr. Holton's practice or the geographical area. The local clinical investigation involved independent experts from the British Paediatric Neurology Association.
It would be inappropriate to comment on the General Medical Council's investigations of Dr. Holton's professional competence. Ministers are not able to comment on the clinical competence of individual practitioners.
Conclusions drawn from evidence provided by individual witnesses is the responsibility of the inquiry panel. It would not be appropriate to comment on any evidence submitted as part of the inquiry.