The State is to pay the legal costs of a man who took a test case on the question of whether a person could appeal to the courts after accepting compensation awarded by the hepatitis C tribunal in the hope of winning an increased sum.
The action was successful in the High Court, but the Minister and the tribunal successfully appealed.
Last week's Supreme Court judgment reversing the High Court decision prevents the State having to pay out millions of euro in addition to awards already made by the tribunal.
The case was regarded as a test case as its outcome was being awaited by many others who had accepted the awards of the tribunal.
Payments to date following tribunal awards have reached around €90 million.
The decision of the five-judge Supreme Court in the man's case was given last week, but the question of costs was adjourned.
When that issue came before the court yesterday, counsel for the Minister for Health and Children said, given the unique circumstances of the case and the obvious public importance attaching to it, the State would pay the costs of the applicant.