Victims of abuse giving evidence to the Laffoy Commission should not have to describe their trauma a second time before a compensation body, the House was told.

Fine Gael's justice spokesman, Mr Alan Shatter, urged the Minister for Health to ensure that in whatever compensation legislation was enacted, victims did not have to give background details twice of the abuse they suffered.

He was speaking during a debate on a Government Order to give additional powers to the Laffoy Commission on Child Abuse. The commission is taking on an extra nominee for its investigation of the chief medical officer's report into the three vaccine trials that were undertaken on children in care in Ireland in the 1960s and 1970s.

Labour's health spokeswoman, Ms Liz McManus, said she was "astonished" that the vaccine trials issue was again before the House when assurances were given in November over the legalities involved in the inquiry. "Nevertheless six months later we are dealing with an issue that should have been put to bed long ago."

Mr Shatter said his legal firm was representing a small number of victims of abuse who wished to present their case to the commission and who would be pressing claims for compensation. The Fine Gael TD said the proposed scheme, which would be enacted through legislation, envisaged a separate body to deal with compensation. This would mean that victims would have to tell their story twice, he said.

Mr Denis Naughten (FG, Longford-Roscommon) criticised the Department of Health for failing to act on the information that the batch of vaccine administered to Kenneth Best, whose family subsequently sued, was administered to at least 243 other Irish children in 1968 and 1969.