Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State. I note his statement that he was sickened by parents, as the media commented, being dragged through the courts. The Department may not believe it is dragging people through the courts, but the parents believe they have no choice. That is the reality. Will the Minister of State ask the Government to pay the Ó Cuanacháin family's legal costs because it brought what was effectively a class action?

The Minister of State mentioned that the Department defends cases only where policy is at stake. Will he review the policy so that it will not inevitably mean that parents will be brought to court? The Department's policy may need to be reviewed instead of asking parents to change taking action. Measures could be taken. Will the Minister of State give the House a guarantee that the people in the 74 other cases will not face the same experience as the Ó Cuanacháin family?