Jonathan Ashworth – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jonathan Ashworth on 2016-02-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil law suits have been brought against her Department based either wholly or partially on grounds provided by the Human Rights Act 1998; how many such suits were settled out of court before a court judgment was delivered; and how much such settlements have cost the public purse since 2010.

George Eustice

The Human Rights Act 1998 has been in force since October 2000. There is no central record of civil cases brought against Defra where a breach of the Human Rights Act 1998 was alleged.

There have not been any cases since 2010 settled by payment of damages which alleged a breach of the Human Rights Act 1998.