More than €650 million in awards and legal fees has been paid out to victims of the blood contamination scandal by the Government's compensation tribunal.
Most of the 3,926 victims who lodged claims up to the end of last year were women infected with hepatitis C when they received a tainted blood product called Anti-D during pregnancy.
According to the tribunal's 2005 annual report, 807 people lodged new claims last year and awards were made in 304 cases totalling €43.7 million. The average award was €143,647 and awards ranged from €14,000 to €1,624,383.
The highest award paid since the tribunal was established in 1985 was €3.1 million. Claimants can opt for provisional awards, which means they can seek additional compensation if their health deteriorates in the future.
In excess of €13 million in legal fees was paid out last year, bringing the total fees in 10 years to more than €74 million.
Other groups who received awards are people who received hepatitis C through blood transfusions, and haemophiliacs infected with hepatitis C and HIV as a result of contaminated blood-clotting products they were given.
There are secondary claimants or dependants entitled to compensation under headings including loss of consortium, loss of society and carer's expenses.
The State is also facing an additional bill from the blood scandals dating back to the 1970s, as the compensation costs do not take account of the cost of free healthcare for victims estimated to be €15 million a year.
After getting extensive legal advice, the Government ruled out the possibility of suing US manufacturers of bloodclotting products that were tainted with hepatitis C and HIV, the virus that causes Aids.
Infections from the products devastated the haemophiliac community.
Some 327 of approximately 500 haemophiliacs in the country contracted either hepatitis C or Aids. Almost 160 have died as a result.