Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I can indicate that that is the Government's intention. When I say we "may" need to reopen the scheme, I expect that we will do so. We will have to remove the prior complaint condition, which will mean amending the scheme, as well as reopening it, but we are also conscious that while some people appealed, others did not. There are also people who might not have applied in the first place because they believed they had no possibility of receiving a payment. We need to look at the matter in the round. There will be meetings today involving officials from the Department of Education and Skills and the Office of the Attorney General to chart the right way forward. We need a little time to get it right and study in detail what Mr. Justice Iarfhlaith O'Neill said. As the Deputy knows, the issue goes back a long time. Louise O'Keeffe has spoken about battling the State for 15 years prior to 2014. In 2008 a Supreme Court case was fought by the Government at the time and a scheme was drawn up in 2015. We all need to take responsibility for the long 15 or 19 years of battling Louise O'Keeffe had to endure and to work together to try to put the matter right.

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