Positive Action, the support group for women infected with Hepatitis C through a contaminated blood product, Anti-D, says it would welcome a judicial inquiry into the delay in telling 28 blood donors they were infected, provided the inquiry had wide-ranging powers.
In a surprise move on Thursday night, the board of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service suggested the judicial inquiry in place of a ministerial inquiry which had been agreed between the Minister for Health and Children, Positive Action and Transfusion Positive.
The IBTS said a judicial inquiry "would best be able to ensure openness and a comprehensive examination of the issues without delay".
Ms Detta Warnock, chairwoman of Positive Action, said yesterday that the group had spent five months in negotiations with the IBTS and others involved without having had any indication that the IBTS board was going to reject the inquiry format proposed by the minister.
Though she initially reacted with shock to the news of Thursday night's decision, she felt that if the inquiry had sufficient powers the idea would have merit.
Mr Martin should now clarify the position from his point of view, she said. There was no statement yesterday from the Minister.
The 28 donors, who were found to have Hepatitis C when they donated blood in the early 1990s, were not told for some years that they were infected.
The Irish Blood Transfusion Service said on Thursday that an immediate concern was "to establish what additional information needs to be communicated to the 28 Munster donors. The board will communicate any necessary further information to these individuals without delay, taking into account their wishes and previous communications".
The inquiry suggested by the IBTS would also look at whether Anti-D was contaminated by more than two individuals.
So far, two people are known to have been involved in unwittingly contaminating the blood product in 1977-1979 and 1991-1994.