Mr. Dave Coleman:

Returning to the example given earlier about the expense of the pyrite case, I had 300 of those 550 plaintiffs and another company had 250. The cost of the case was €55 million. The insurance cover was €100 million. There was €45 million left to remedy the homes. These were not costs that I received. These were the costs incurred between the quarry and the builder - that was it. They took up years of court time. In the end, it was through the good offices of our firm and the other firm that we negotiated a walk-away basis for the plaintiffs on the basis that there was a fix for their homes. The system, as it is, is wrong. It is inefficient and it is incorrect.

Second, the judge hearing that case, and the members might consider this in this Bill, asked for an expert to be appointed to help him to understand the vastly technical issues. The same applies when one comes to medical device cases and blood-brain barrier drugs cases.

A judge may need assistance and the judge should have the statutory power to call for it.