The State Claims Agency has said it is seeking resumption of mediation in the Ruth Morrissey cervical cancer case, which is currently before the High Court.
In a statement, the agency said that it is not acting on behalf of the co-defendant laboratories - Quest Diagnostics and Medlab which have separate legal representation.
The agency said that today it has written to the two laboratories requesting that they join the SCA in resuming mediation talks as soon as possible with Ms Morrissey's legal team.
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The agency said that an attempt earlier this week to resolve the case through mediation was unsuccessful.
The SCA said it has admitted liability in respect of the non-disclosure of the audit of Ms Morrissey's smear tests.
However, it said neither of the laboratories has admitted liability in respect of the smear tests they assessed.
The agency said it is managing the case on behalf of the HSE in accordance with its statutory role.
Ms Morrissey's case is due to resume on Tuesday.
The agency said it was committed to expediting resolution of all cervical cancer misdiagnosis cases in a sensitive manner, working co-operatively with the co-defendant laboratories, utilising mediation as an alternative to a formal court hearing.
It said it is placing a high priority on treating the people who have made the claims and their families, with dignity and compassion.
The agency said it was issuing the statement in response to media queries on the Morrissey case.
In response to the statement, legal representatives for Ruth Morrissey said the impression given was one of a frustrated but benign defendant seeking to resolve the case without a trial.
Solicitor Cian O'Carroll said that Ruth and Paul Morrissey feel deep hurt that the State and its claims agency have sought to misrepresent "the sham mediation" that took place in the last week in a veiled attempt to spare them criticism that is rightly theirs for their conduct of this case.
The solicitors said that the couple believe the State showed no interest whatsoever in resolving their case by mediation prior to the media focus on their ordeal in court this week.
They said they believed the mediation that took place to be confidential "though now it forms part of a press release to suit the purposes of the State Claims Agency."
Mr O'Carroll said Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Health Simon Harris gave clear and public assurances just ten weeks ago that no other woman would be dragged through the courts as Vicky Phelan had been.
