Indemnity for Covid 19 vaccines
Dear Department of Health and Social Care,
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act regarding the legal costs incurred by the UK government to date in defending claims against the COVID-19 vaccines. As the government has indemnified the pharmaceutical companies producing the vaccines for any alledged harms suffered by individuals, I am interested in understanding the financial implications of this decision.
Specifically, I would like to know:
Please can you tell me how much has been spent in defending cases against AstraZeneca to date for claims brought against the company for alledged adverse reactions from their Covid 19 vaccine?
I am only aware of the cases brought against AstraZeneca to date but should I be incorrect, please provide details as above for any other company covered under the indemnity.
Does the government have a maximum amount it is willing to spend on defending such cases? How much is this?
I understand that the government has a duty to be transparent and accountable to the public, and I believe that this information is in the public interest. I look forward to receiving a response
If you require any further clarification or information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Yours faithfully,
Sheila Ward
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Dear Ms Ward,
Thank you for your request of 6 February under the Freedom of Information
Act (our ref: FOI-152847)
I am writing to inform you that the Department's consideration of the
balance of the public interest with regards to your request is not yet
complete and requires further time to complete in line with Section 10(3)
of the FOI Act.
The Department is currently assessing the public interest in release under
Section 43.
We anticipate this process will take no longer than a further 20 working
days to complete. We therefore aim to respond fully to your request by 4
April.
Please accept my apologies for this delay.
If you are not satisfied with the handling of your request, you have the
right to appeal by asking for an internal review once you have received
your response. This should be sent to [DHSC request email] within two
months of the date of our FOI response.
If you are not content with the outcome of your internal review, or should
you wish to raise a complaint about our handling of the case, you may
complain directly to the ICO. Generally, the ICO cannot make a decision
unless you have already appealed our original response and received our
internal review decision. You should raise your concerns with the ICO
within three months of your last meaningful contact with us.
Yours sincerely,
Freedom of Information Team
Department of Health and Social Care
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