Seanad debates

Wednesday, 13 November 2002

Lindsay Tribunal Report: Motion.

 

Senators Terry, McHugh and Leyden raised the issue of funding. The current funding for the Irish Haemophilia Society is about €300,000. The society had ongoing needs and sought an extra €300,000 to which I have agreed. That is the current position and it is mainstream funding. In May, we negotiated a significant compensation package for haemophiliacs and we amended the Hepatitis C (Tribunal of Compensation) Act to encompass them. While we broke with legal precedent, I was happy to do so. It represented an unprecedented departure from the normal laws of tort, particularly as it allows bereaved families to claim on the same basis as a living claimant. In fact, it is more complicated than that but, in recognition of the uniqueness of this tragedy, I was quite prepared to break legal ground and depart from the normal kind of advice one might receive in such situations.

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