Vol. 489 No. 7
35 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Defence if he will make a statement on the report of the expert group which has recommended a standard system for assessing hearing disability; and if he will outline the manner in which the recommendation is likely to be used in processing army deafness claims. [9249/98]
I received the expert group's report on 7 April 1998 and I am considering the way in which it may impinge upon the strategy adopted by the Government to deal with the Army hearing loss claims. The Government will shortly examine a number of courses of action to deal with the problems which have been identified by an interdepartmental committee in this regard. An adjournment of cases currently before the courts was granted in the High Court on 21 April 1998 and this will provide time within which to give due consideration to the complex legal and constitutional issues which the identified options have raised. This work will be proceeded with as a matter of urgency.
