Government appeal against Sinnot award begins

The Government begins its case to recoup a High Court award of £55,000 paid to the mother of an autistic child in the Supreme Court today.

However, the State has given a commitment to honour an award of £225,000 to 23-year-old Jamie Sinnot of Ballinhassig, Co Cork, made last October.

The High Court found that the State had breached the constitutional rights of the Sinnot family by failing to provide free primary education for Jamie.

The court also ruled that the rights of severely disabled persons with regard to the provision of primary education would continue to be breached by the State as long as it would continue to benefit from it.

Mrs Sinnot has already received £15,000 of her own award and has been given an assurance by the Government that it would not seek repayment of monies already paid over in this regard.

The State is contesting the findings that Jamie Sinnot's right to free education should extend beyond the age of 18 years.

The State is also disputing the High Court's findings that the constitutional rights of Mrs Sinnot were infringed.