High Court president calls for law addressing lifetime care needs of catastrophically injured

Mr Justice Peter Kelly, president of the High Court, has criticised the absence of legislation addressing the lifetime care needs of the catastrophically injured, The Irish Times reports.

Mr Justice Kelly said the failure of the Oireachtas to legislate on the issue had led to a “procession of misery” in the Irish courts.

His comments came after approving the latest interim payment of €1 million to meet the care needs of a severely disabled boy.

The High Court heard that the boy’s mother was “exhausted and drained” due to both the care demands on her and the need to attend successive court hearings to secure funding for care.

Mr Justice Kelly said he hoped legislation would be in place by the time the case returns to the court in 2020.

He noted that there is a bill before the Oireachtas at present, but also that some deficiencies had been identified in that.