Government's hepatitis C position `totally untenable'

THE Government's position in relation to the hepatitis C scandal was "totally untenable" following yesterday's admission by the former Minister for Health, Mr Howlin, that the Government decided the legal strategy in the McCole case.

This was claimed by the Fianna Fail spokesman on health, Mr Brian Cowen, last night in the wake of Mr Howlin's admission on RTE's Live line programme yesterday. The Minister said that "the legal strategy was decided by Government and that's a question that needs to be answered". He also admitted: "I now see that that didn't suit certainly the McCole family and they were right to go the course that they went".

Mr Cowen, in a statement, said this admission explained why the fifth question in the McCole, letter was excluded from the terms of reference of the hepatitis C tribunal.

"This is the first public admission by a Minister that this Government was collectively responsible for the strategy adopted in the McCole case", he added.

The current Minister for Health, Mr Noonan, had always maintained that the Government was not involved in the legal strategy "that was so insensitively pursued against a defenceless and dying woman", he concluded.