The Irish Haemophilia Society (IHS) said yesterday it did not believe any legal action it may mount in relation to procedures to be adopted at the forthcoming haemophilia infection inquiry should delay the start of the tribunal's oral hearings. The society's legal team is at present asking for counsels' opinion on whether it should seek judicial review of a decision by the tribunal not to accept applications for permission to see all documents which are submitted to it, not just those which are assessed by the tribunal lawyers as relevant.
The decision was conveyed to the IHS last Friday.
The tribunal will investigate how 260 people with haemophilia became infected with HIV and hepatitis C from contaminated blood products. Of those, 62 have died.
The IHS also submitted an application in writing to the tribunal before Christmas seeking to have its witnesses heard first. It has not received a response. More than 50 infected persons have put their names forward to give evidence.
"I would not see any legal action we take holding up the start of the tribunal if there is agreement to hear evidence from people with haemophilia first," said Ms Rosemary Daly, administrator of the IHS.
The tribunal chairwoman, Judge Alison Lindsay, said at the last preliminary sitting of the inquiry on December 14th that she expected to go into oral evidence early in the new year.