The Supreme Court's rejection of a damages claim by a man maintaining he was exposed to asbestos in the Dáil represented a major step in reversing the compensation culture, the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy said yesterday.
In a statement welcoming the decision, the Minister issued a warning that the State would step up its defence of compensation cases.
It would "send out a strong signal to those who may think that the initiation of a compensation claim against the State is akin to approaching an ATM," he said.
The Minister said the ruling was "very significant". Compensation culture had become endemic in the State in recent years.
He said that, building on the decision, he was determined to ensure that all arms of the State, from central to local government and beyond, would vigorously defend the dramatically increasing number of compensation actions being taken in the courts.
He stated his determination to eliminate the notion that the State was in some way a "soft touch".