Vol. 562 No. 6
96 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Defence the position in relation to deafness claims cases in the Defence Forces; the total number of claims lodged; the total number of claims disposed of; the total cost of awards or settlements in relation to the cases disposed of; the total amount of costs payable in relation to claims disposed of; and the total amount of defence costs arising in relation to claims settled or disposed of. [6802/03]
By 28 February 2003 a total of 16,571 claims had been received in the Department of Defence from current and former members of the Defence Forces in respect of loss of hearing allegedly caused during their military service. A total of 13,312 have been disposed of by means of court awards, out-of-court settlements, withdrawn by plaintiffs or court dismissals. Expenditure on awards and settlements amounted to €176.34 million with a further €85.70 million on plaintiffs' legal costs. The State's own legal costs are charged to the Vote of the Chief State Solicitor's office. The costs relating to the defence of the army deafness cases are not specifically identifiable within the overall expenditure on legal costs borne by that office.
