There are 744 civil actions pending in the courts against the Blood Transfusion Service Board and others which have been brought by persons who contracted hepatitis C through the administration within the State of blood and blood products. The majority of these persons have also lodged claims with the hepatitis C compensation tribunal and I would hope that the bulk of cases will be resolved in that forum. In order to expedite the processing of claims before the compensation tribunal, I have made arrangements under section 8 of the hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal Act, 1997 to provide for the settlement of claims. The arrangements will operate as informally as possible and in a manner which ensures that settlement offers are made as early as possible. Settlement offers will be based on the same criteria applied by the tribunal under section 5 of the Act in relation to the level of awards. Where a claimant accepts a settlement offer, the claimant is entitled to an additional amount of 20 per cent from the reparation fund established under section 11 of the Act, in lieu of the tribunal assessing and awarding aggravated or exemplary damages. I will shortly be making additional appointments to the tribunal and I anticipate that this will facilitate a greater throughput of cases for decision before the tribunal.