Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

Would the Minister agree that 956 instances of C. difficile recorded between May and this date, is a frightening number? Does she have available to the House the number of persons so recorded who have died either as a consequence of having C. difficile or whose death has been related to it? Can she confirm that in September at least two patients in Beaumont Hospital died as a consequence of having contracted C. difficile? Can the Minister also confirm to the House that as of this date, there are in excess of 100 claims taken against the State for damages by persons who contracted MRSA or by their bereaved family members and that these are being dealt with by the State Claims Agency? It has been estimated there could be up to 1,500 such claims and that the State Claims Agency has estimated that if the court proceedings prove successful, there could be a State liability in the region of €500 million. Would the Minister agree that in the interest of patient safety there is an urgent need to take a more dynamic approach to this issue and in the context of the State finances it makes more sense to spend this sort of money on cleaning our hospitals and addressing this issue in a more comprehensive way than having to pay it by way of compensation claims to bereaved relatives and those whose lives have been blighted?

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