Haemophiliac again not well enough to give his evidence

A special sitting of the Lindsay tribunal to hear evidence from a haemophiliac infected with hepatitis C was adjourned yesterday after the witness was reported to be seriously ill.

It was the third occasion on which the man, due to give evidence under the pseudonym James, had been listed to testify.

Counsel for the tribunal, Mr Gerry Durcan SC, said James had been taken to hospital earlier this week, but the situation regarding his condition had not become clear until yesterday morning.

A new date of November 9th has been set for the hearing of his evidence. If unable to attend, his statement will be read into the record.

James is the last witness scheduled to appear before the tribunal, which has been running since September 1999. Closing statements from counsels for the tribunal and other parties are due to begin on November 14th.

The statements were due to have begun being presented this week. However, following an application by the Irish Haemophilia Society, the chairwoman, Judge Alison Lindsay, granted a limited extension to the deadline for their submission.

Meanwhile, it is understood that the Minister for Health is due to contact the society today regarding the possibility of establishing a new inquiry to investigate the role of US pharmaceutical companies in the infection of haemophiliacs. Mr Martin is to report back to the society before the end of this week.

The society wants the Department to apply for access to documents used in litigation in the US against drugs firms and now stored in a Florida depository. An initial deadline for the receipt of applications for access to the documents lapses today. The society has learnt that the depository will accept further applications for a limited period.

The Labour Party's spokeswoman on health, Ms Liz McManus, urged the Minister yesterday to give a "clear and unambiguous" commitment to a new inquiry, with distinct terms of reference, to "finally get to the bottom of this tragic episode in Irish healthcare".

She said: "If this Government takes no action to ensure that the full truth emerges, we would ensure that the issue is fully addressed if we return to government after the next election."

An estimated 252 haemophiliacs were infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C in the State through contaminated blood products used to treat clotting disorders.