FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE TIMES INTERVIEW WITH SIR MICHAEL RAWLINS, CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CLINICAL EXCELLENCE

Q: Talk about the Alzheimer's case. I don't know what the time scale is.

M: Well, I don't know, either. They've got to seek leave for judicial review, first. I think they are, at the moment, seeking leave.

Q: As we speak?

M: I think they've sent the documents to the court, to seek leave, and then the courts will decide whether they can have judicial review. And then, if they decide they can, then they'll have some sort of hearing in the Spring, I guess.

Q: Which could cost you quite a lot of money, presumably. Aren't they going deep into the whole methodology of . . .

M: Well, yes, the grounds of judicial review will be that the processes . . . have been unfair, that the decision is perverse, or so unreasonable and no reasonable person should have come to that conclusion, or thirdly, we've exceeded our legal powers. But I haven't actually seen, yet, the final document that they've presented to court.

Q: So, you don't know on which . . .

M: No, I've only seen the original letter they wrote, but that's not the document that goes to court.

Q: This is the first time you've gone to –

M: Judicial review. Yes, actually, all my friends said we'd been taken to judicial review in the first year.

Q: I find it amazing that it still hasn't been –

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