Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 June 2004
100 Mr. O’Shea asked the Minister for Defence the 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 amount paid out to date in terms of damages or legal costs; the number of such claims outstanding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17818/04]
View answerBy 31 May 2004 a total of 16,713 claims had been received in my Department from current and former members of the Defence Forces in respect of loss of hearing allegedly caused during their military service. Some 332 claims have been determined in court and 14,954 have been disposed of out of court, mainly through settlement, leaving a total of 1,427 claims outstanding at that date. The sum of €276 million has been paid in respect of hearing loss claims including €95.5 million in plaintiffs' legal costs.
