Dáil debates

Tuesday, 14 November 2017

Multi-Party Actions Bill 2017: Second Stage

 

9:20 pm

Photo of Louise O'ReillyLouise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this and commend my colleagues, Deputies Ó Laoghaire and Pearse Doherty, for bringing forward this important piece of work. I am a trade unionist, as I have said in this Chamber before. For me, there is strength in numbers and unity is, indeed, strength. It is incumbent on all of us to come together and express our support not just for the Bill but also for those outside of this Chamber who would seek to act collectively.

I do not think there is any justification for denying people what should be their basic right. Nor am I overstating it when I say that the legislation, if passed, has the potential to revolutionise the way in which the courts deal with large-scale actions. It could improve access to justice for countless people who have faced very serious injustices, such as those affected by the sodium valproate scandal, the transvaginal mesh scandal, the tracker mortgage scandal and the people in my own constituency who bought homes that were affected by pyrite.

In particular, the Bill will be of huge benefit in the area of health, for those who have been the victims of defective medical products, and patients who have suffered side effects of medicine which were the fault of pharmaceutical companies or in some instances health care providers. Currently, the only real option for those people is for a test case to proceed and then for related cases to follow, but it is all on an individual basis. They are always on their own. The model proposed by my colleagues has significant advantages over that. The primary benefit is that it will reduce the cost of litigation. It will also reduce duplication and the cost of representation. It will make better use of court resources and, crucially, will improve access to justice.

The issue of defective mesh implant devices is one I have been looking into for the last number of months. Sooner or later the HSE and the Minister are going to have to face up to and deal with this issue. There are ongoing class actions in Australia and Britain, where women are alleging that the faulty pelvic implants are causing them debilitating pain. Ireland is no different; there are such women here. Unfortunately for them, they are forced to act only as individuals and cannot come together as a group. It is when issues like this come to light, and we see failures on an industrial scale, that we can see how important it is for people to be able to act collectively, and that is what this Bill will facilitate.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.