Compensation plan criticised

The Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, is being urged not to press ahead with a proposed "no-fault" compensation scheme being considered…

The Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, is being urged not to press ahead with a proposed "no-fault" compensation scheme being considered by his Department for babies born with brain damage. The Law Society said it would "remove the constitutional rights of the most vulnerable people in society and seemed to be motivated primarily by considerations of cost".

A Department spokesman confirmed it was examining the scheme "as part of consideration of a number of proposals designed to deal with the rising costs of medical indemnity/insurance".