A senior lawyer is to be sent to the US by the Department of Health to investigate documents held in a Florida depository which relate to the infection of Irish haemophiliacs with HIV and hepatitis C.
The announcement was made by the Minister for Health, Mr Martin, following a meeting with the Irish Haemophilia Society.
The documents were used in US litigation against a number of drug firms and can only be accessed for a limited period.
Speaking after the meeting, the IHS administrator, Ms Rosemary Daly, said she was disappointed that the Minister had not made a commitment to establish a new inquiry to investigate the role of US drug companies in the infection of haemophiliacs.
"In the absence of a commitment to establish another tribunal, it is a time-wasting exercise sending a senior counsel to the US, because he will be going out to investigate documents for nothing", she said. "When we asked for a time-frame for the person to go and come back, there was none. Whatever this gentleman is going to find out could all have been done in the last couple of weeks if there was any serious intent here."
The IHS has insisted that a new inquiry, in addition to the Lindsay tribunal, is required to investigate the role of US drug companies in the infection of Irish haemophiliacs after the tribunal chairwoman, Judge Alison Lindsay, refused to extend her terms of reference to look at the role of these firms.
An estimated 252 haemophiliacs were infected with HIV and/or hepatitis C in the State through contaminated blood products used to treat clotting disorders.