Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of joining an European Union-wide repository of incidents of violence against police officers.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Assaults on police officers and staff are unacceptable. We are working with policing partners to ensure victims receive the right support, both physical and psychological, and that data on assaults is captured consistently to inform prevention and care. This forms part of the wider Police Covenant commitment to protect and support those who protect us.

Data on the number of police recorded crimes for assaults on officers is published by the Office for National Statistics as part of the quarterly Crime in England and Wales series.

We are not aware that a European Union-wide repository of incidents of violence against police officers currently exists. The UK and EU Member States share a wide range of information on law enforcement and criminal justice matters under the arrangements set out in Part 3 of the UK- EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the restriction on pursuing clinical negligence cases to direct financial dependents only in cases where an individual has died on the justice system.

Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of the restriction on pursuing clinical negligence cases to direct financial dependents only in cases where an individual has died on the justice system.

As announced in the 10-Year Health Plan for England, David Lock KC is providing expert policy advice on the rising legal costs of clinical negligence and how we can improve patients’ experience of claims. The review is ongoing, following initial advice to ministers and the recent National Audit Office report.

We welcome the recent report by the National Audit Office on the costs of clinical negligence. The results of David Lock’s work will inform future policy making in this area. No decisions on policy have been taken at this point, and the Government will provide an update on the work done and next steps in due course.