The terms of reference for the HIV tribunal will not be ready by the deadline set by the Minister for Health, Mr Cowen. The Irish Haemophilia Society (IHS) has reacted angrily to the delay.
Mr Cowen had said the tribunal's terms of reference would be drawn up by the end of last month; it would begin hearing evidence in June; and he would expect it to report by autumn.
However, a spokeswoman for the Department has confirmed that the terms of reference have not been completed.
Ms Rosemary Daly, of the IHS, accused the Department of "kicking the issue into touch". The society is holding e.g.m.s in Dublin and Cork this week and there would be a lot of anger among members if the issue was not settled by then. "If we have nothing by then, it will be an insult to our members."
A spokeswoman for the Department of Health said officials have had a number of meetings with the IHS in recent months to discuss the terms of reference.
She said the IHS had submitted "detailed documents" at the end of March. "These were issues which they wanted looked at and how the tribunal would operate."
The Department, she said, was studying its response. "Obviously, this has delayed the process accordingly," she said, adding that the Department expected it would be completed within a few weeks.
However, Ms Daly said the Government had been able to set up other tribunals within a few weeks. "We just want them to get on with it. They have managed to get a peace agreement in the time we have been trying to get the terms of reference."