Decision on second blood tribunal due tomorrow

The Government is expected to announce tomorrow whether it is to set up a tribunal to investigate the role of US drug companies in the contamination of blood products which led to the infection of Irish haemophiliacs with Hepatitis C and HIV.

The Department of Health commissioned a report into the matter last year following allegations that drug firms paid high risk donors such as drug addicts and prisoners to donate blood.

The report, which is said to contain the legal opinion of a New York law firm, was presented to Cabinet today. However the Minister of Health, Mr Martin, has said the report’s findings will not be published until he meets with the Irish Haemophilia Society (IHS) tomorrow.

Ms Rosemary Daly of the IHS told ireland.com: "These companies were responsible for the majority of infections and it would be incredible to think that they would not be investigated."

Seventy nine people are known to have died as a result of the infections. The Government will use the report’s findings to decide whether or not to set up a tribunal.

The role of US pharmaceutical firms in infecting Irish haemophiliacs became apparent during the course of the Lindsay Tribunal, which was set up to investigate the State’s response to the blood scandal.

The IHS had requested the Lindsay Tribunal extend its remit to cover US-based drug companies. But the tribunal had ruled that it was beyond it terms of reference.

The key issue remains whether or not a new tribunal could access internal drug firm documents currently being held by a US court. It is understood that this information may soon be unavailable.