The Department of Defence received a claim for damages for hearing damage from the Labour TD, Mr Michael Bell, three weeks before he accused the Department of negligence at a meeting of the Dail Public Accounts Committee. Mr Bell, TD for Louth, made no reference to the fact that he had initiated proceedings for compensation for alleged hearing damage with the Department when he spoke to the Dail committee on November 27th last during a debate on military compensation claims.
A letter claiming damages from Mr Bell, who served for 18 years with the Army reserve, the FCA, arrived at the Department of Defence offices on November 4th last. It was sent a day earlier on Mr Bell's behalf by his solicitors, Finian Branigan and Co, of Drogheda, on November 3rd.
Earlier in 1997, Mr Bell had made inquiries from the Army seeking dates for his service.
Mr Bell gave no indication to the Public Accounts Committee meeting 25 days later on November 27th last about his claim when the committee discussed the issue of hearing damage claims against the Department of Defence.
During the debate Mr Bell said that as a former Army officer he had no doubt that the Defence Force authorities had been negligent. The Department of Defence deserved what it got, he said, because of what he described as "pure unadulterated negligence".
The following day, November 28th, Mr Bell was quoted in the Evening Herald newspaper as saying he was considering making a claim.
He said: "I am seriously thinking of testing it to see exactly what the system is like.
"I know the effect it has had on me personally. I know hundreds of men who served with me and under me on the shooting ranges and I know of the damage caused to them."
Mr Bell joined the FCA in 1954 and was promoted to the rank of second-lieutenant in June 1972. He was promoted again to the rank of full lieutenant in February 1978. He retired in November 1982.
During his time with the FCA he served as a platoon commander with a rifle company in the 8th Battalion based in Dundalk.
As Labour Party spokesman on Defence, Mr Bell had a key role in drawing up the party's Defence policy manifesto for the last election. The manifesto, entitled "An Agenda for Change", proposed the establishment of a compensation tribunal chaired by a High Court judge to deal with the thousands of hearing damages claims.
In February last year he lodged a Dail question asking the then Minister for Defence, Mr Sean Barrett, how many compensation cases were on hand, the gross amount paid, and for details of the highest amount paid in compensation.