Over 500 people apply for €20k flat fee Stardust payment scheme set up for survivors as judicial review case

MORE than 500 people have applied for the Stardust payment scheme set up for survivors of the deadly fire, according to the latest figures from the Department of Justice.

The scheme was established last February and will see successful applicants receive a €20,000 payment for “delays in providing truth and justice”.

The department said 540 people have so far applied, with 169 of them validated and authorised for payment.

It said further applications are proceeding towards final validation and this number is expected to increase in the coming weeks.

The deadline for applications for the scheme was reached at 5pm yesterday. No more applications will now be accepted.

The scheme is available to all survivors who received payments from the original 1985 Stardust Victims Compensation Tribunal.

Lawyers for survivor Jimmy Fitzpatrick were granted leave to seek a judicial review of the scheme.

The department said a total of 823 people received compensation from that tribunal, meaning the potential maximum cost of this financial package is €16.4 million.

However, some survivors have been critical of the package, saying it was done without consultation.

They also said the flat rate of payment, rather than a sliding scale, amounted to a broken promise.

Last month, lawyers for survivor Jimmy Fitzpatrick, who sustained serious burn injuries in the fire, were granted leave to seek a judicial review of the scheme.

The matter is due back in the courts in November.

In the early hours of St Valentine’s Day in 1981, 48 people were killed after a fire ripped through the Artane nightclub.

In August 2024, compensation worth €24m was agreed for the families of those who died.

It followed verdicts, four months earlier, at fresh inquests that all 48 victims were unlawfully killed.

All of this came after decades of campaigning by relatives.

Announcing the recognition payment scheme earlier this year, Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan said the payments were not intended to be compensation for injuries, rather for the delays in providing justice.

The Irish Sun released a multi-award winning podcast entitled The Stardust Tragedy following the inquest, which recounted the 43-year fight for justice from the familiies of the victims, survivors, first responders and campaigners.