One of the families at the centre of the Portlaoise baby death scandal have welcomed new measures for patient safety.

A raft of measures were announced this morning.

Mark Molloy, whose son died just 22 minutes after being born in Portlaoise Hospital, says he hopes that changes to the health service announced this morning prevent any repeat of what his family went through.

The measures include simplifying the complaints process for patients, extra powers for the Ombudsman and HIQA, and the setting up of a National Patient Safety Office which will report to the minister.

Overall the measures are welcome, according to Stephen McMahon of the Irish patients association - but support is needed.

There will also be changes to the length of court cases for those who suffered medical mistakes and a change to the way compensation is paid.

Minister Varadkar told Newstalk Breakfast the reforms are aimed at preventing adverse events like these from happening and helping patients and their families avoid having to go to court.

"I should say that if the other things work, the reforms around patient safety, those adverse events in clinical incidents might not happen in the first place in which case the harm might not be done and the people will never have to go to court".

"I think it is worth pointing out that many more cases are settled long before they go to court than the ones that do go to court. It is the ones that go to court though that obviously make the news".

You can listen to his interview on patient safety reforms here. Ivan Yates began by asking him "What is new here?": 

Meanwhile, the Tánaiste Joan Burton has suggested the health minister was speaking in "a personal capacity" when he suggested privatising certain parts of the health service.

In a speech to chartered accountants last week, Leo Varadkar suggested private sector managers could be brought in to take over the running of poorly performing public hospitals under some future reforms.

Fianna Fáil has described the measures as Thatcherite - and asked Joan Burton in the Dáil if she supported them.