THE following is the full text of a letter from the Mc Cole family to the Minister for Health, Mr Noonan, dated October 8th, 1996:
"We write to you as the husband and family of Mrs Brid McCole, who died on October 2nd from liver failure as a result of her infection with the hepatitis C virus following the administration of Anti-D Immunoglobulin in November, 1977.
"We refer to recent events and the admission of liability by the Blood Transfusion Service Board in their letter of September 20th, 1996, copy annexed. We would like you to answer the following questions, which are questions about which our mother was concerned and remain unanswered:
"1. Why did the Blood Transfusion Service Board use plasma from a patient undergoing therapeutic plasma exchange when it was unsafe to do so?
"2. Why did the Blood Transfusion Service Board ignore the ample warnings of jaundice, hepatitis and adverse reactions to Anti-D in 1977 and again take no steps when they were informed of the infection of Anti-D with hepatitis C on December 16th, 1991?
"3. Why did the Blood Transfusion Service Board not inform the infected women in 1991, and why did they not report the infection to the Department of Health, as they were obliged by law to do?
"4. Why was the Blood Transfusion Service Board permitted to manufacture Anti-D unlawfully and without a licence under the Therapeutic Substances Act 1932 from 1970-1984?
"5. In their letter of September 20th, 1996 the Blood Transfusion Service Board did two things A they admitted liability and apologised, but only in the context of a threat that, were she to proceed with a case for aggravated/exemplary damages, and not to succeed, they would pursue her for costs. What was the justification for this threat?
"We are asking these questions in the knowledge that our mother, were she alive, would have pursued her court action to get answers to these questions. We are confident you have the answers and can get them."
