§ Lord BachMy honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Ivor Caplin) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
I wrote yesterday to the solicitors acting for the Maddison family apologising for the fact that Ministry of Supply employees at the Chemical Defence Experimental Establishment at Porton Down Wiltshire proceeded with a test involving Ronald George Maddison on 6 May 1953, which led to his death. This was undertaken notwithstanding the fact that an identical test on 4 May 1953 resulted in an adverse blood test result in one serviceman.
The Ministry of Defence has not received a formal claim for compensation from the next of kin of Mr Maddison. However, any claim for compensation from his family would be considered favourably on the basis of the negligence referred to above.
The Ministry of Defence intends to challenge, by way of Judicial Review, the inquest verdict of unlawful killing.