A rearguard action by the Department of Defence to slow the rate of compensation payments to soldiers claiming hearing damage has been condemned by the main soldiers' staff association.
PDFORRA (Permanent Defence Forces Other Ranks Representative Association) said the attempt by the Department and the Minister, Mr Smith, to seek delays in hearing the cases was unbelievable and that its stated reasons were a smoke-screen.
During the application by the Minister to have a moratorium imposed on hearing claims until October, it emerged that the Department's decision to fight a high proportion of the cases had reduced the number being heard to 24 weekly.
Defence sources declined to comment on whether there was a strategy to reduce the level of claims. But, with the reduction to about 24 cases a week, at an average settlement cost of £20,000,
combined with the fact that the High Court sits for only 36 weeks a year, it is possible the cost to the State of hearing claims in the next 12 months could be between £17 million and £18 million. This is substantially below the figure of £88 million set aside by the Exchequer for payments arising from hearing claims over this financial year.
With new claims arriving at a rate of between 70 and 80 a week and with 10,500 cases in hand, it could be years before many cases come to court.
Meanwhile, the Government is proposing to set up a compensation board which could speed up payments but only, Government sources stress, if the average level of settlements is reduced.
Reacting angrily to the Government's attempt to seek a moratorium in claims to allow experts to agree on measurements for defining hearing damage, the PDFORRA president, Mr Pat Grogan said: "It's a smoke-screen to hide the fact that the Department of Defence has been abandoned by the other Government Departments of Health and Social and Community Affairs.
"It is believed the Department of Social and Community Affairs is reeling at the prospect of an out-of-control disability pensions budget.
"It now appears the Department of Defence is reluctant to use the new recommendations in the courts probably because it has been advised by the Attorney General that the new system will be of little use or will be ignored when compensating other people for hearing damage."