Written question asked by Nick Harvey (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 24 November 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 28 November 2005. It was answered by Caroline Flint (Labour) on Friday, 20 January 2006 on behalf of the Department of Health.

vCJD Trust

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the vCJD Trust's budget has been allocated to legal and professional fees since the Trust was established; and how much has been allocated for such fees in the next financial year.

Answer: The variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) Trust's published annual report and accounts include full details of legal and professional costs.The report and accounts are available on the vCJD Trust's website at: www.cjdtrust.co.uk/The vCJD Trust has, to date, paid £7.4 million for legal and professional fees. These include legal fees for solicitors acting for the trust and for claimants, trustees' expenses and fees, medical experts and accountants' fees, taxation, and other disbursements.The total sums managed by the vCJD Trust in its main and discretionary funds amount to £67.5 million.The vCJD Trust does not allocate a proportion of the annual budget for fees or expenses in advance.

Secondary information