Vol. 475 No. 7
66 Mr. Cowen asked the Minister for Health the reason for advertising the hepatitis C compensation tribunal again in advance of the publication of the judicial inquiry report; the cost of the recent advertising; the total spent to date on advertising in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5793/97]
Limerick East): Clause 19 of the compensation scheme stipulates, inter alia, that claimants must apply to the tribunal within six months of the date upon which they first become aware that they have been diagnosed positive for hepatitis C antibodies or hepatitis C virus or the date of the establishment of the compensation tribunal, which ever date is the later. The six months period from the date of establishment of the tribunal expired on 17 June 1996. I have been informed by the compensation tribunal that since 17 June 1996, 45 new applications have been lodged with the tribunal, 22 of which are from claimants who had been diagnosed positive within the six months prior to the application being lodged.
