Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have found that these cases go so far but it may be different if there was more up-front candour by the HSE management and the senior medics involved if something happens. When, however, the management deny, deny, deny they get people's backs up who will then go to the ends of the earth. These people may have accepted the truth up front if they had got the truth up front. In my experience it is the denial of the truth early on in the situation that leads to both sides ratcheting up their arguments. Tony O'Brien made a valid point on this issue when he was last before the committee. I asked why in some of these cases the children are seven, eight, nine or ten years of age. Mr. O'Brien said that in some cases it takes time to work out what the long-term effects are. One cannot know this by the second birthday. It was a valid point but just applies to some cases. I say it just for the record and for fairness. There are, however, far bigger issues than why they get contested in the first place.