Supreme Court: Minister for Health entitled to cross-appeal challenge to Hepatitis Tribunal finding

The Minister for Health and Children has partially succeeded in an appeal to the Supreme Court, which was based on the statutory interpretation of the Hepatitis C Compensation Tribunal Acts 1997-2006. Delivering the unanimous decision of the five-judge Court, Mr Justice William McKechnie found the that the Minister was “entitled only to cross-appeal the subject matter of the appeal brought by the claimant”; restricted in this case to the issue of quantum, and not causation. Justice McKechnie also found that it was not necessary for the Minister to formally cross-appeal “where all he wishes to do before the High Court is to stand over and support the decision of the Tribunal”.