Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 23 May 2024

Public Accounts Committee

2022 Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 35 - Army Pensions
Vote 36 - Defence
Report on the Accounts of the Public Services 2022
Chapter 12: Stock Management in the Defence Forces

9:30 am

Photo of Brian StanleyBrian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the provision of equipment. A lot of new vehicles and so on have been brought in recently. That is to be welcomed. Before we finish up, I will ask about legal settlements. In 2022, €6.2 million was expended on compensation and legal costs. Of this, 64% related to employee injury claims, 28% to employee claims for breaches of HR or employment policies, 4% to personal injury claims and 4% to other claims by members of the public. At that point, there were 495 open cases. From Ms McCrum's earlier answers, I gather that there is a similar number of open cases at this point. One of the areas I want to ask about is that of Lariam. This is an issue that comes up. As I understand it, it is a drug that was prescribed to Defence Forces personnel overseas, particularly in warmer climates than Ireland's, to protect them against malaria. A number of cases have been taken by members or former members of the Defence Forces. How many of those have been settled?

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