The Attorney General has sought legal advice on the prospects of suing pharmaceutical companies which supplied contaminated blood products to Irish haemophiliacs after a US law firm offered to take the case on a "no foal, no fee" basis. Joe Humphreys reports.
The State has instructed a separate US law firm to advise it on the implications of accepting the offer made by Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein last year.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, said yesterday that the Government was awaiting the independent advice before making a decision on whether or not to embark on foreign litigation. This advice was due in a "relatively short" period of time, the Department said.
The news emerged yesterday during a meeting between Mr Martin and the Irish Haemophilia Society (IHS) , which has accused the Minister of reneging on a promise to establish an inquiry into the role of drug firms in the infection of 260 haemophiliacs with HIV and hepatitis C.
Mr Ray Kelly, an executive committee member of the IHS, whose son, John, was among 86 haemophiliacs killed by contaminated products, said it was a disgrace that the State hadn't "the bottle" the take on the drug companies.
"It appears the political will is not there either to hold some form of investigation, which would be our preference, or to conduct litigation," he said.
But the Minister said he was satisfied he had taken every appropriate step to ensure the Government and the IHS had the best-quality advice available before embarking on any foreign litigation.
In a separate development, Mr Martin said he hoped to bring proposals to Cabinet by September on the establishment of an insurance scheme for people infected with HIV and hepatitis C. However, he said this was dependent on legal advice from the AG.