Much of the delay in processing claims, which is inexcusable, arises from simple requests. Obtaining a medical report from a doctor or consultant is not easy. When I practised, I took a number of these cases and my secretary and I spent a great deal of time on the telephone to the secretaries of doctors and consultants trying to obtain medical reports. Consultants take the view that their primary job is patient care and the production of reports for lawyers is not top of their list, which is understandable. Something that, on the face it, should be straightforward frequently is not and if ordinary claimants pursue such reports on their own behalf, they will not find it as easy as people think. Something as simple as obtaining a report from a garda confirming that an accident occurred, much less the facts, is not as easy as it sounds. The record taking of gardaí is relied upon but, sometimes, it is not as reliable as it should be. The system is more complicated and messy than it should be and individuals who are entitled to compensation will become lost within it if they are not provided with access to independent assistance or advice and that should be addressed.