Day 191 of The Tribunal
TRIBUNAL OF INQUIRY Wednesday 21st November 2001 Day 191 Martin Giblin S.C. delivered the final part of the closing submissions for the Irish Haemophilia Society. He urged Judge Alison Lindsay to recommend the establishment of a new Tribunal to inquire into the actions of pharmaceutical companies who supplied the people with haemophilia in Ireland with infected products. He said if such an inquiry was not recommended it would allow the pharmaceutical companies to escape being brought to account for manufacturing highly dangerous factor concentrate products which infected 97 people with haemophilia with HIV. Martin Hayden S.C. for the Irish Haemophilia Society completed the closing submissions by urging the BTSB to unreservedly apologise to the people with haemophilia for its role in their infection. He said that the response of senior management in the IBTS (formerly the BTSB) had resulted in further trauma for those who had lost loved ones. He said the IBTS had failed to learn from past mistakes. Frank Clarke S.C. made final submissions for the BTSB. On behalf of the IBTS, he welcomed the Tribunal but did not make any apology on its behalf. He said it was a matter of great regret when a public body such as the BTSB charged with important duties in health care, fails to deal properly with the undoubtedly serious task given to it. He said that the BTSB fully understands and sincerely regretted the extremely serious consequences of any such failures for those who had suffered from them. He said that when the consequences of such failures are so tragic, they were doubly regrettable.
