Sheila Terry (Fine Gael)

I concur with Senator O'Meara's remarks. The most important issue for someone following an accident is his or her recovery period — it is what is foremost in his or her mind rather than seeking compensation or redress. Therefore, we are reasonable to suggest that the timeframe for the letter of claim should be increased from two months to four months. It is still a very short time, but is more reasonable. We must remember that many people, particularly in medical negligence cases, are not just seeking financial compensation, rather they are seeking an acknowledgement that something wrong has been done to them and want to ensure it does not happen to anyone else. It takes people time to even make the decision to lodge a letter of claim and, if it is a wider and more serious issue of compensation, a great deal of data must be collected. We are not being unreasonable in seeking to extend this period from two to four months.