State committed to blood scandal probe despite concerns

THE Government is committed to launching an inquiry into the role of international drug firms in the blood contamination scandal despite the cost concerns raised by a senior minister.

The Irish Haemophilia Society had sought the reassurance after Justice Minister Michael McDowell warned on Friday the probe could be a “monumental” waste of State resources.

Yesterday, Department of Health officials assured the IHS that Minister Michael Martin’s position had not changed.

IHS chairperson Brian O’Mahony said they would be meeting Mr Martin on December 17 for further discussions on the proposed investigation. After the meeting, the minister will put a template for the investigation before the Dáil.

Mr McDowell made his comments on the proposed inquiry when asked about the decision by Canadian police to charge an international drug company with criminal negligence. It was after a five-year investigation that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police decided to lay multiple criminal charges against Armour Pharmaceuticals, one of the companies that supplied infected products to Ireland.

Mr O'Mahony said he did not believe a similar action could be taken here until the role of such firms had been investigated.

The Lindsay Tribunal found as a matter of probability that a young Irish haemophiliac, who has since died of an AIDS-related illness, was infected by an Armour clotting agent.

Mr O’Mahony said the development in Canada justified their campaign to have a State inquiry into the role of the drug firms.

“The Lindsay Tribunal had the same information that was available to the Canadian police,” he said, “plus information relating to the infection of the child.

“The tribunal refused to go into that whole area. It was a missed opportunity.”

Labour’s Liz McManus said that the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, also needed to state categorically that the inquiry will go ahead and be pursued as a matter of urgency by the State.