John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is pretty simple. They owe the Department the money and the Department has to get it back from them. They are in a bit of financial bother and the Department has to resolve it. That is the answer. If the figures in what the Department is saying are correct, the cost so far in relation to hepatitis C, for example, is approximately €1 billion. I was just reading the different figures off the screen. It is a little over €1 billion. That is the cost in terms of the compensation. Then there is the €132 million, the €165 million for legal fees and so on. Separate from and parallel to that, concern is also expressed in the report that this "could also seriously impact the organisation’s capacity to deliver a safe and sustainable blood service, to the appropriate standards of quality and efficacy". It is in everyone's interest that this matter be dealt with immediately.