THE Minister for Health, Mr Noonan, has said he will answer questions this week in the Dail about the hepatitis C scandal, which Progressive Democrats leader, Ms Mary Harney, yesterday described as "the worst scandal in the history of our health services".
Mr Noonan said that he had not known that Mrs Brigid McCole, who was infected with the virus through the anti D blood supply, was likely to die before an early hearing in her High Court case was granted. He also said the State had never intended to use her as a "test case".
When asked on KTE radio yesterday whether there would be a criminal investigation into the scandal, Mr Noonan said: "When the judge reports after the inquiry and makes recommendations, what I would say is let the chips fall where the chips fall."
It was also up to the Blood Transfusion Service Board to apologise to those who were infected with the hepatitis C virus through the infected blood supply.
Ms Harney launched a stinging attack on the Minister over his role in the hepatitis C controversy, in particular in the case of Mrs McCole, who died from the hepatitis C virus the night before her High Court settlement.
She condemned the State decision to oppose Mrs McCole's court application for anonymity and the submission of medical evidence suggesting the Co Donegal woman would be fit to give evidence in court.
The tribunal of inquiry must address why the State hounded this woman all along the line, including trying to use the statute of limitations, and why they forced her to use her name," she said.
"I don't believe he [Mr Noonan] was morally or politically justified. We have got to realise what has happened here. It is the worst scandal in the history of our health services. There have been 1,600 people infected with a life threatening illness. We have a duty to these people in particular to tell them the truth about what has happened."
Ms Harney called for an explanation into how as far back as 1976, medical records showed that a woman infected with the hepatitis C virus continued to give blood donations to the Blood Transfusion Service Board until 1994.
"As far as I am aware, we did not know anything about this until 1994. We need to know who is responsible and when they knew," said Ms Harney.
Mr Noonan, responding to questions about the State's advice to the anti D women not to take court action, said he did not favour the "adversarial system" in dealing with compensation claims and long delays would have been involved in hearing the cases.
He said that he had no information that Mrs McCole would die before the hearing into her case. "I had no indication that there was a serious decline in Mrs McCole's health until early September and I had no indication that this serious decline might lead to her death, effectively, the night before the final settlement was made", he said.