Written question asked by Tim Loughton (Conservative) on Wednesday, 21 January 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 6 February 2004. It was answered by Baroness Hodge of Barking (Labour) on Friday, 6 February 2004 on behalf of the Department for Education and Skills.

Dept for Education and Skills

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, on what basis he deemed it appropriate to state ahead of (a) the Appeal Court judgement in the case of R v Angela Cannings and (b) the subsequent review of cases announced that children taken away from birth parents as a result of judgements where expert witness testimony from Sir Roy Meadow has been instrumental should not be returned to them if judgements are found to be unsafe; what directions he has issued to local authority departments to (a) identify and (b) secure documents relating to cases involving infanticide or harm to childen which relied on expert testimony from Sir Roy Meadow; when the Minister for Children first ordered an investigation into the number of children who were taken away from parents who may have been sent to prison for cot death; and what actions he took subsequently; what directions have been issued to social services departments to identify and secure documents relating to cases involving infanticide or harm to children which relied on expert testimony from Sir Roy Meadow. - Inc ref to 656 c38-9WS, 19 January 2004. (Holding answer 26 January 2004).

Answer: Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) on what basis he deemed it appropriate to state ahead of (a) the Appeal Court judgment in the case of R v. Angela Cannings and (b) the subsequent review of cases announced that children taken away from birth parents as a result of judgments where expert witness testimony from Sir Roy Meadow has been instrumental should not be returned to them if judgments are found to be unsafe; [151025] (2) what directions he has issued to local authority departments to (a) identify and (b) secure documents relating to cases involving infanticide or harm to children which relied on expert testimony from Sir Roy Meadow; [151026] (3) when the Minister for Children first ordered an investigation into the number of children who were taken away from parents who may have been sent to prison for cot death; and what actions he took subsequently; [150807] (4) what directions have been issued to social services departments to identify and secure documents relating to cases involving infanticide or harm to children which relied on expert testimony from Sir Roy Meadow. [151091] Margaret Hodge: [holding answer 26 January 2004]: The Appeal Court announced its judgment in the case of R v. Angela Cannings on 19 January 2004. I am now studying the judgment carefully, in the light of the Attorney-General's statement in the other place on 20 January.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 417 c1086-7W; 151025;151026;150807;151091
Session: 2003-04
Subjects: Children Infanticide Local government Miscarriages of justice Social workers Cot deaths Cannings, Angela Meadow, Roy
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk