Vol. 556 No. 4
75 Ms Lynch asked the Minister for Defence the total number of claims for damages for deafness determined in court or settled out of court at the latest date for which figures are available; the total number of such claims outstanding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20520/02]
A total of 16,405 claims had been received in the Department of Defence by 31 October last, from current and former members of the Defence Forces, in respect of loss of hearing allegedly caused during their military service. Some 255 claims have been the subject of court awards and a further 11,981 were disposed of through out-of-court settlements. A further 601 claims were either withdrawn by plaintiffs or were dismissed by the courts.
