Mr. Ciarán Breen:

We are constrained by our statutory remit. We can only do things in a particular way. We must ensure the State does not pay out when another party should pay out. That is the constraint we operate under and we cannot do anything different from that. If the State decides to have a form of redress for the women involved, that is a different matter. That would involve taking the matter entirely out of our hands and into a redress scheme. We are constrained by what we can do.

I understand the point Deputy Doherty is making well. I agree with him that it is terribly tragic that women have to take these cases against the laboratories involved, but the laboratory is the liable party based on-----