Gerard Craughwell (Independent)

Getting back to the appointment of a special advocate, the Bill will lay on the State and the HSE statutory rights that people have. What do we do when those statutory rights are ignored? How do we resolve that? The only way we can get a remedy is to go to the courts. The Minister and I know that if you take the State to court, it has deep pockets and will keep you in the courts until you die. Having an advocate in place who will take up the cause and bring it to public attention might move something to happen. The Minister is telling the people in the Gallery and anyone watching the debate today that we have all these things in the legislation now for them, and if they do not get what they are entitled to they have recourse to the courts, and then God help them, they will rot before they get a solution. That is the way the State Claims Agency operates. It will see you in hell before it will resolve an issue for you.