I want to raise the issue of narcolepsy. Following an alleged bad batch of the swine flu vaccine a decade ago, over 90 people have taken claims against the HSE. They claim this bad batch resulted in them developing narcolepsy. Four of them are from my own County Tipperary. Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological disorder which impairs the brain's ability to regulate its sleep-wake cycle normally. The State brought the first claim to court before settling. This cost the State approximately €10 million, which was a multiple of the award to the claimant. Now there are over 90 cases of people taking similar claims that the State is refusing to settle. These people's way of life has been drastically altered as a result of developing narcolepsy. The State needs to stop dragging its heels on this and making life even more difficult for these people than it already is. They are entitled to compensation without the hassle and anxiety of High Court proceedings.

As these cases are before the courts, perhaps the less I say about them the better. The case mentioned by the Deputy was settled without admission of liability. The person taking the case withdrew most of her claims and it was settled on that basis, unfortunately with the vast majority of the money going to legal people rather than the person who was affected. However, perhaps it sets a template by which the State Claims Agency can settle the other cases quickly and I certainly encourage the agency to settle cases as quickly as possible.