The Health Minister Leo Varadkar says he would welcome the addition of more families' cases into the review of maternity services at Galway's Portiuncula Hospital.

The review was ordered by Saolta Group, which runs the facility in Ballinasloe, following the deaths of two babies and the oxygen deprivation suffered by five more.

In an interview last week with Jonathan Healy on Lunchtime: "My hope is that with the pressure coming on from stories that are getting out there like our own, with the new terms of reference for investigation, that they would actually broaden it and that they would do a proper review.

"Really what I want to see happen is that in any review they learn from the mistakes that they made, they acknowledge there was mistakes made and that down the line maybe twelve months time that there is another review to make sure the changes have made a real difference and if they haven't, that more changes are made."

The minister says he would be open to their cases being heard by the review.

Meanwhile a Health Service Executive (HSE) panel, set up after a number of babies died at the Midlands Regional Hospital in Portlaoise, is looking into 180 complaints.

It is believed the panel reviewed around 80 deaths and concluded that 30 needed further investigation.

But this figure could increase as more cases are reviewed.

Along with the deaths, dozens of other cases - involving traumatic births, near misses and serious injuries suffered by mothers - are also reportedly part of the review.

The probe began after the deaths of five babies there since 2007.