asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Legal Services Commission, in funding the measles, mumps and rubella and measles and rubella vaccines litigation, took into account any published peer-reviewed evidence; and [HL1208]

Whether the Legal Services Commission, in funding the measles, mumps and rubella and measles and rubella vaccines litigation, took into account the effect on public confidence in health care; and[HL1209]

Whether the Legal Services Commission, in funding the measles, mumps and rubella and measles and rubella vaccines litigation, took into account the lack of any regulatory action by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. [HL1212]

The first funding certificates associated with this litigation were granted by the Legal Aid Board in 1992. Section 15(2) of the Legal Aid Act 1988 allowed funding in cases which met the reasonableness criterion. The Legal Aid Board would have taken a view on reasonableness based on the material put forward by the solicitors. Public confidence would not have been a relevant consideration. The Legal Aid Act 1988 has been superseded by the Access to Justice Act 1999 which created the Legal Services Commission (which replaced the Legal Aid Board) and tightened up the criteria for granting legal aid.