Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

The point I have made is fair and accurate. The expert clinical advice is that it is necessary to go through these files over this period. The whole idea is to provide reassurance. The way to do so is to follow the advice provided by clinicians who have greater expertise than me or anybody else in this House as to how we should go about it and do it properly. As I said in my initial reply, before Deputy Kenny put forward his robust supplementary question, we are trying to reassure people in a proportionate way, based on the precautionary principle. That is an important point. Deputy Kenny is suggesting that there is an imminent danger in respect of all these files. That is not the situation.

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