Mr. Jim Breslin:

The hepatitis C compensation tribunal has been in existence, associated with the other chapter before us, the contamination of the blood supply that occurred in Ireland. In 1996, the first awards from the hepatitis C compensation tribunal were made. Sizeable awards have been made in the interim period and as the Deputy can see, they are set out in regard to both 2013 and 2014. In total, €689 million has been paid out in awards under the hepatitis C tribunal over that interim period. There is a further reparation fund payment that totals €152 million and, as the Deputy rightly points out, there are significant legal costs attaching to the operation of the hepatitis C compensation tribunal, which is a statutory tribunal, of €165 million in legal fees over the period 1996 to 2014. The number of awards made is 3,423 and in each of those awards there is representation of the tribunal itself in regard to counsel and also representation in regard to the claimants. The Deputy can see that there are significant legal costs attaching to the tribunal based on it being a statutory tribunal where people are allowed to engage counsel to represent them in the tribunal.