A review of a redress scheme set up for victims of child sexual abuse following a landmark 2014 judgement has found that the State imposed an illogical and unfair requirement on victims seeking compensation.

The Air Corps “seems to be a place where there’s an abnormal number of people who die prematurely”, according to a member of the Oireachtas’ Public Account Committee.

Ruth Morrissey's solicitor Cian O'Carroll said today that they still haven't been told directly that the State Claims Agency is to appeal the High Court judgment in Ms Morrissey's case.

A partial appeal by the State Claims Agency (SCA) of a High Court judgment that found in favour of a woman terminally ill with cervical cancer will not include an appeal of the €2.16m in damages awarded to her.

Dáil public accounts committee chair and Fianna Fáil TD Sean Fleming made the claim at the latest meeting of the group this morning, saying the delay has put public money and prisoner health at risk.

The payment is to meet the cost of awards or settlements relating to 263 claims made against various Setanta policies.

The amount paid out by the State Claims Agency (SCA) in damages concerning medical negligence claims totals over half a billion euro over the past two years.

Samsung cancer scandal cited over Casement chemical exposures

State officials have admitted the cervical cancer tests compensation cost will exceed the €32million price of delivering the service but have refused to reveal an exact figure amid claims that victims will use it to increase their demands.

The State Claims Agency is set to be grilled today over the growing scale of the cervical cancer crisis amid revelations the Government has imposed a cut-off point for affected women to be compensated.

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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has defended the granting of a time extension to the Scally scoping exercise into the cervical cancer scandal.

Education Minister Richard Bruton has sent a response to a former High Court judge’s request for a justification of the Government’s controversial interpretation of a European ruling in the Louise O’Keeffe school sex abuse case.

The State Claims Agency has claimed that lawyers acting for families who have suffered catastrophic medical injuries are to blame for forcing high-profile court cases because their initial compensation “demands” are “significantly overstated”.

Two cases similar to that of ‘Grace’ — the intellectually disabled woman abused in a foster home — are now the subject of legal action involving the State.

Settlement and compensation payouts by the State to victims of “negligence, incompetence, and neglect” in Irish hospitals have totalled almost €500m since 2011, the Irish Examiner can reveal.

Delayed diagnoses, faulty medical devices, missed medication, wrong medical records applied to patients — all feature among the incidents in our hospitals that led to the State paying out €177m in damages between 2010 and 2014.

Assaults on prison staff have cost the State almost €30m since 2008. However, the ratio of assaults by prisoners on Irish Prison Service (IPS) members is reportedly relatively low.

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NEW standards being adopted by the Health Service Executive for perinatal death are a welcome recognition that when miscarriages and post-pregnancy loss occur the family of the child needs to be dealt with in a caring and sensitive manner.

A legal firm that specialises in medical negligence cases has received €11.8m in fees over two years from the State Claims Agency (SCA).

The number of assaults by prisoners on prison officers last year averaged almost two per week.

Geraldine Barry was forced to watch her partner die, while all her emotional protests and questions were ignored, writes Karen Kearney, partner at Ernest J Cantillon Solicitors    

A €5,000-a-day fee paid to a medical consultant for giving evidence in court — which it was claimed was “egregiously excessive” — did not mean he lacked independence or impartiality, the Court of Appeal has found.

Health Minister Leo Varadkar has denied Ireland’s maternity services are in crisis, despite revelations the system suffered 67 “extreme incidents” last year, resulting in babies dying or having long-term disabilities.

The HSE is facing a claims crisis with the number of High Court cases against the health services almost doubling in five years to reach record levels.

Lance Armstrong has been fined $10m (€8.78m) for lying about his use of performance-enhancing drugs following an arbitration panel hearing into his case with SCA Promotions.

Lance Armstrong has been fined $10million (€8.7m) for lying about his use of performance-enhancing drugs following an arbitration panel hearing into his case with SCA Promotions.

The State Claims Agency resolved 487 clinical negligence claims last year costing €69.6m, an Oireachtas committee has been told.

The State’s offer of out-of- court settlements to victims of child sexual abuse at school has been described as "an absolute disgrace" by survivor Louise O’Keeffe, who was forced to resort to the European courts in her own battle for justice.

A dozen law suits have been initiated against the State, the health minister and a pharmaceutical company by individuals who developed a chronic sleep disorder after receiving a vaccine to protect against swine flu.

The cost of private health insurance could rise yet again if insurance companies force private hospital consultants to pay an extra 42% in premiums to protect against medical negligence claims.

The Texas Supreme Court has denied Lance Armstrong’s request to block a Dallas company’s attempts to recover about $12m in performance bonuses it paid the cyclist during his career.

The State Claims Agency (SCA) is expected to examine dozens of school sex abuse claims that were withdrawn following a stark 2009 government warning that it would pursue its costs if the alleged victims lost their cases.

Jean and Thomas Gaffney fought the HSE for five years as they sought justice for their son, Dylan. They tell their story to Catherine Shanahan to expose the struggle faced by parents brave enough to take on the State.

ENDA Kenny cuts a sorry figure when cornered. But the apology from the Taoiseach to abuse victim Louie O’Keeffe was as necessary as it was overdue.

Two-thirds of sex abuse victims in schools who had cases like Louise O’Keeffe’s pending against the Department of Education withdrew them after being warned of the financial consequences by the State.

Parents of children who developed a chronic sleep disorder after taking part in a State vaccination programme remained fearful last night that they could be forced to pay for out-of-pocket expenses despite reassurances from the HSE.

Two young women who claim they developed the sleeping disorder narcolepsy as a result of the swine flu jab are awaiting confirmation that the HSE will cover their medical expenses.

HSE workers were paid more than €1.3m in compensation last year for workplace accidents.