CERTAIN documents relating to Mrs Brigid McCole's case were yesterday made public by her family. They released copies of a letter sent by them to the Minister for Health yesterday and a letter dated September 20th last from the Blood Transfusion Service Board's solicitors admitting liability.
After the announcement of the settlement in the High Court yesterday, the family issued a statement in which they said their mother never once faltered in her determination to have the truth told.
However, the family made public copies of a letter they sent yesterday to Mr Noonan, asking him to answer five questions about which they said their mother had been concerned and which remained unanswered.
The questions all relate to the BTSB. The letter to Mr Noonan is signed by Mrs McCole's daughter, Ms Brid McCole, for the family.
It also refers to a document dated September 20th, 1996, sent by the BTSB's solicitors, McCann FitzGerald, to the family's solicitors, Ivor Fitzpatrick & Co, in which it admits liability. A copy of the document has been forwarded to the Minister.
McCann FitzGerald states in the three page letter. "Our client [BTSB] has decided to admit liability to your client in relation to her claim for compensatory damages for negligence.
It also gives an apology. "We have also been specifically instructed by our client to apologise unreservedly to your client for what she has suffered as a result of our client's negligence. Our client has taken steps to seek to ensure that there can never be a repeat of this tragedy."
The letter stresses that the admission was solely for the purposes of those proceedings and in the context of the facts and circumstances relating to Mrs McCole's case only.