The State Claims Agency (SCA) is attempting to reach settlements with Air Corps members who were exposed to dangerous chemicals during their work, Tánaiste Simon Harris has said.
It follows the conclusion of a landmark court case earlier this year in which a former Air Corps technician was awarded €2 million.
In what was seen as a major test case, Gary Coll (51), from Lifford, Co Donegal, alleged his exposure to chemicals in the workshops of Casement Aerodrome caused him severe and lifelong health problems.
Central to Mr Coll’s claims was that he underwent “tubbing”, a form of hazing where workers were submerged in a bath of unspecified chemicals and oil.
Taco Bell’s arrival could add spice to Ireland’s love affair with American fast food
‘There is no justice for this’: Driver in car crash that led to deaths of Monaghan teenagers jailed for seven years
Who felt informed enough in those first few days to call Alan Hawe a cold-blooded murderer?
‘Say Kate is your boss’: Pharmacist claims ex-TD O’Connell and husband were working him ‘to death’
On the opening day of the hearing last February the parties agreed a settlement that did not include any admission of responsibility by the State.
Campaigners accused the State of dragging out the legal process for more than a decade.
The case against the Department of Defence was the first of 10 personal injuries cases due before the courts relating to the exposure of Air Corps members to dangerous chemicals and solvents used in aircraft maintenance.
Campaigners say there are many other Air Corps veterans who have died prematurely or suffered severe health problems in connection with their work.
Now, Mr Harris, who is also Minister for Defence, has signalled the State is keen to settle the remaining cases.
“I want to see a resolution in this regard,” Mr Harris told the Dáil this week. “I am advised there is currently active engagement between the State Claims Agency and litigants to determine if mutually agreeable resolutions can be found to their cases.
“I want to see that happen and I encourage the State Claims Agency to continue that approach, as I know it will. Trying to bring this issue to a resolution that works is important.”
The Tánaiste said an engagement process with former Air Corps personnel is “now genuinely under way” and that it should be allowed proceed “to a point where there is an achievable outcome that is acceptable to all parties”.
He also said the State may be willing to provide medical care to personnel exposed to chemicals even if it does not accept legal responsibility.
“I have made the point that, in the past, there have been other areas where even if the State did not accept liability, people did try to meet the health needs of those impacted,” Mr Harris told Sinn Féin TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire.
“I have asked that my officials continue to give thought to that issue and to keep me updated on the progress in relation to the State Claims Agency engagement and those further questions that I have asked it.
Gavin Tobin, a former Air Corps technician, estimates there have been nearly 100 deaths that may have involved exposure to dangerous chemicals.
He rejected Mr Harris’s claim that the State is engaging with veterans and accused it of only coming to an agreement in Mr Coll’s case at the 11th hour.
“A haggle on the corridors of the High Court where the State Claims Agency attempts to destroy reputations by calling injured personnel liars is not engagement,” said Mr Tobin who has been campaigning for years on the issue and who also suffers serious health issues.
He accused the Government of “using the might of the State to threaten financial ruin” on plaintiffs if they reject settlement offers.
“Threatening bankruptcy unless we accept settlement is not an engagement process,” he said. “Nobody is engaging with us.”
The issue of toxic chemicals exposure is also being examined by a judge-led tribunal established to examine how the Defence Forces dealt with allegations of misconduct within the organisation.
