State owed millions in legal costs

THE State Claims Agency (SCA) has recovered just €200,000 of a €2.5 million legal bill it is owed by individuals who sued the Government and lost their case.

Around 5,000 people took legal actions against the Government claiming that the fear of being exposed to deadly asbestos left them with serious psychiatric injury.

However, in January 2005, the Supreme Court upheld in a test case that the State was not liable to pay damages to these so-called “worried well”.