Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)

I thank the Minister for her reply. It is regrettable that the hospital consultants are threatening this action. Does the Minister not accept, however, that doctors are extremely anxious and concerned at the situation in which they find themselves? They understood at first that they had cover from the MDU that turned out in practice to be discretionary, which let them down badly. They fear that, despite her promise, the Minister will let them down again and are intent on ensuring that does not happen. They want a legally binding commitment that they and their patients will not be left without cover, not just words and promises at a conference.

Surely the Minister is aware that when a similar process took place in Britain to set up a state indemnity scheme, the state took on the historic liabilities. In this instance, however, a secret deal was done with a competitor of the MDU which is a matter of some concern. Does the MPS have any historic liabilities? Does the deal with the Department protect it from any claims coming through? It seems extraordinary that the historic liabilities were not dealt with comprehensively, leading to the mess in which people find themselves.

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