At least 57 women are now taking legal action over the cervical cancer tests scandal, after 17 previously unknown cases against hospitals, individual doctors and laboratories were revealed by officials.

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

Government plans set to be announced next week could save the State €400m a year in legal cases against the HSE.