Mr. Jim Breslin:

One aspect is the management of legal costs in an individual case. Another is the clinical indemnity scheme which was only set up in 2003. There is a long tail when it comes to insurance and everything before it was being picked up by insurance arrangements. The State now picks it up by way of self-insurance. That means that the cost to the State Claims Agency will build until it reaches a plateau which I believe is still three or four years away. Even with better management of individual cases, the aggregate cost might still grow. The State Claims Agency has put a great deal of effort into the management of individual cases, but the Deputy is correct. The Department of Justice and Equality has undertaken reforms to try to improve how the system works. The Deputy may be aware that last week the Minister established an expert group on medical negligence. It will examine this issue further to try to find a better solution for everyone when medical negligence cases are taken.