Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

To be honest, Mr. Connaghan's response did not add anything. I will do a quick fire round of questions because we all have limited time.

I have a habit of drifting through committee meetings and I attended a meeting of the finance committee when representatives of the State Claims Agency appeared before it. I accept the agency's hands are tied in many cases by the legislative basis on which it operates, for example, tort law. Considerable time has passed. What proposals has the State Claims Agency put to the Department of the Taoiseach or the Department of Finance on how it can change the current position? The Taoiseach told the Dáil he had instructed the State Claims Agency to use mediation in all of these cases. We now know that if the laboratories do not disentangle themselves from the HSE, the agency will be locked into a certain position. Will Mr. Breen set out in detail the engagement between the State Claims Agency and the Government? I presume they have engaged in days and weeks of intensive negotiations and discussions involving legislative proposals and whatever else may be needed. How many meetings have taken place?