The High Court was told yesterday the Minister for Health has made a number of regulations to enable 13 people appeal against awards made by the hepatitis C compensation tribunal.
The tribunal has dealt with 750 cases since it started work in 1996 and has made average awards of £135,186.
Yesterday, Mr Michael O'Donoghue SC, for the State, said the Minister had made a number of regulations which extended the ambit of the hepatitis C compensation Act.
The Minister had met lobby groups and representatives of persons involved and as a result made regulations which extended the time in which appeals could be brought before the High Court, and funding.
A number of suggestions had been made to the Minister by the lobby groups and these suggestions had been submitted to the rules committee of the courts.
The President of the High Court, Mr Justice Morris, said that in the absence of rules, and in the event of an emergency, he would deal with such urgent matters on the basis of recognising the draft rules as a temporary practice direction.
The matter was adjourned until mid-July.
The compensation tribunal has powers to give either a lump sum or make a provisional award and also to give an applicant a right to return at a later date in the light of any new circumstances.
In some cases applicants seeking a right of return to the tribunal have been refused.
