Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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646. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1018 of 17 January 2017, his views on the substantial increases in each of the years since 2007 in the number of maternity cases in which damages claims were paid, notwithstanding the fact that 39 of the 489 claims for which damages were paid in those years involved single cases across multiple transactional years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45753/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Clinical Indemnity Scheme (CIS) was established in 2002 and from February 2004 provided cover to consultants in respect of clinical incidents occurring after that date. Also, we must take account, particularly in relation to certain maternity services-related claims, of the potential time lag between adverse incidents occurring and the initiation and settlement of claims. The State Claims Agency describes the Scheme as still maturing and this is demonstrated by the steady increase in the number of claims for which payments have been made each year.

Any adverse clinical incident is one too many and it is essential that all stakeholders continue to learn from past experience and that we continue to deliver improved patient outcomes across all medical disciplines.

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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647. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 1019 of 17 January 2017 if the State Claims Agency keeps records of confidential settlements in maternity damages cases; and if so, the number of such confidential settlements that were made between 2010 and to date in 2017. [45754/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The State Claims Agency informed me in its response to PQ 41605/17 (1019) of 17 January 2017, which I gave on that date to the Deputy, that it settles very few claims subject to a confidentiality agreement with the exception of cases settled through mediation. The Agency does not formally record, on its IT system, the fact that any individual settlement is bound by a confidentiality clause. Therefore, on posing this question to the Agency again, it has informed me that this information is not readily available.