€400m paid out by Hep C tribunal
The tribunal has been hearing claims by thousands of people affected by the blood contamination scandal on a continuous basis since March 1996.
The money paid out by the tribunal also includes the cost of High Court appeals against awards made by the tribunal.
Its latest report for 2002 shows 126 new claims were submitted that year, making a total of 2,317 to the end of the year.
The recent increase is mainly due to a recent change in the legislation to allow the partners of people infected with HIV as a result of receiving an infected product to make a claim for loss of sexual relations.
The tribunal paid €36.3 million in 2000, comprising of €18.5 million from 62 new awards and €17.7 million from 52 increases in compensation awarded by the High Court on appeal from the tribunal.
There were 65 awards made by the tribunal during 2002. The total amount awarded was €20.3 million, with the average award being €313,180. The awards ranged from €650 to €1.3 million.
In 2002, €4.49 million was paid in costs, of which €3 million was in respect of tribunal awards and €1.4 million was in respect of 32 High Court appeals.
A total of 95 claims had been withdrawn up to the end of 2002, and 85 cases have not been pursued and have been adjourned generally, though each claimant can re-enter his or her claim.
The tribunal places advertisements in the press regularly to advise those entitled to claim compensation of the time limits that apply in making an application.
A person who contracted hepatitis C or HIV from an infected blood product has three years from the time the infection is diagnosed to lodge a compensation claim.
A person caring for someone with hepatitis C or HIV must also lodge their claim within three years from the time they started suffering personal loss as a direct result.
Tribunal secretary Michael Ryan said an allowance can be made to extend the time limits in exceptional circumstances.
Mr Ryan said the tribunal had to send out constant reminders through the press because there are cases where people had been diagnosed years after contracting the infection from a blood product.
He also noted that some people might not be aware of the work of the tribunal and the fact that they might be entitled to claim for compensation.
