David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We will await the additional breakdown, on receipt of which we will examine it again.

In his 2012 report the Comptroller and Auditor General examined the issue of legal costs. Page 36 of the 2016 annual report of the NTMA, details the cost of State Claims Agency claims resolved between 2012 and 2016. It shows that in 2016 the average total legal cost per clinical claim was €40,000, compared to €8,000 for a general claim. There is a breakdown of general and clinical claims, but for clinical claims the average legal cost was €40,000. Given that 98% of claims are resolved through a negotiated settlement or mediation, why are legal costs so much higher for clinical than for general claims? Why is the legal cost per clinical claim €40,000 when the cost for a general claim is €8,000?