Govt considers change from lump-sum to annual compensation payments

The Government is considering changing the system by which people receive compensation in medical negligence cases.

At the moment, those who successfully take a case against the State for injuries or permanent damage caused by a medical error are awarded a lump sum payment in compensation.

But it is thought the periodic payment system - which is used in the UK - could soon be introduced here.

The proposal is just one of the topics on the agenda at a conference taking place in Dublin later today called "Catastrophic Birth and Child Injuries".

Solicitor and partner with Augustus Cullen Law, Michael Boylan, explained that the periodic system allowed for annual payments linked to inflation and care costs to be paid every year for the patient's life.

He said it would be a more equitable and more accurate way to assess patients who had been catastrophically injured