Sir, – No-one who reads Gerard and Mary Costello's letter (September 25th) could fail to understand their enormous trauma and pain and that of other parents of children who have been catastrophically injured or died as a result of clinical negligence.
While the State Claims Agency’s policy is not to comment on the details of specific cases, I am, nevertheless, compelled to correct the record in this instance.
Legal proceedings – the point at which the State Claims Agency becomes involved – were not initiated in this case until 2013, seven years after the birth of the Costellos’ son, Tadgh. From this point onwards, the State Claims Agency resolved the case in the shortest timeframe possible. Upon receipt of a letter of claim in January 2013, the State Claims Agency commissioned medical expert reports, which are required as evidence in a case of this nature and typically take up to two years to complete. In February 2015, the State Claims Agency received definitive, specialist obstetrical opinion which indicated breach of duty and the agency admitted liability four days later. It could not have done this at any point sooner. – Yours, etc,
CIARÁN BREEN,
Director,
State Claims Agency,
Treasury Building,
Grand Canal Street,
Dublin 2.