The Irish government has been called on to introduce a new redress scheme for individuals affected by vaccine related injuries.
An expert panel of personal injury solicitors, chaired by Mr. Justice Charles Meenan, made the recommendation in their December 2020 report that the government should put this scheme in place “as a matter of urgency”.
The expert group report to review the law of torts and the current systems for the management of clinical negligence claims was established in June 2018 with the support of the Minister for Justice and Equality, and the Minister for Health, in partnership with the Minister for Finance. The panel is comprised of representatives from various state bodies, including the Departments of Justice, Health, the Taoiseach, Expenditure and Reform, the HSE, AGO and the State Claims Agency.
The objective of the group is to review the current systems in place for processing and handling claims of clinical negligence.
An actively practising solicitor experienced in plaintiff representation is also required to sit on the panel, along with a patient advocacy representative.
Speaking to The Times, a Dublin-based litigation firm, has commented on the redress programme, stating it “has been promised for decades and I think the government should honour their long promise”. The firm also confirmed they have been in receipt of approximately thirty enquiries in relation to adverse side effects following a Covid 19 vaccination.
Another law firm, also disclosed to the newspaper that they too are beginning to receive enquiries from “ a limited number of people coming through who have a significant impact from the vaccine” and a solicitor from the firm stated that a lawful vaccination redress scheme would minimise the amount of those affected having to “run the risk of very uncertain litigation”.
Other experienced multi-party action solicitors have suggested that it would be better to have a comprehensive, fair scheme in place to remove the need for long drawn out and expensive case-by-case litigation.
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