More than 500 people have applied for the €20,000 payment scheme set up for survivors of the Stardust fire, according to the latest figures from the Department of Justice.
The scheme was established in February and provides a €20,000 recognition payment to eligible survivors in relation to the “delays in providing truth and justice”.
The Department of Justice has confirmed that 540 people have applied so far, with 169 applications already validated and authorised for payment.
A further number of applications are currently progressing towards final validation, with the department expecting that figure to increase in the coming weeks.
However, the deadline for applications is fast approaching, with applications accepted until 5pm today.
No applications will be accepted after the closing date.
The scheme is open to survivors who received payments from the original Stardust Victims Compensation Tribunal, which was established following the 1981 fire.
A total of 823 people received compensation through that tribunal, meaning the potential maximum cost of the new financial package is €16.4 million.
However, the scheme has faced criticism from some survivors, who argue that it was introduced without adequate consultation.
Critics have also raised concerns over the decision to provide a flat-rate payment rather than using a sliding scale, describing this as a broken promise.
There is also a legal challenge to the scheme currently before the courts.
Last month, lawyers representing Stardust survivor Jimmy Fitzpatrick were granted leave to seek a judicial review.
Mr Fitzpatrick suffered serious burn injuries in the fire and his legal challenge is expected to return before the courts in November.
The Stardust disaster occurred in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 1981, when a fire tore through the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin.
Forty-eight people were killed in the blaze, while many others were injured.
The families of those who died were eventually awarded compensation worth €24 million in August 2024.
The payment followed fresh inquests into the deaths, which concluded four months earlier that all 48 victims had been unlawfully killed.
The findings came after decades of campaigning by the victims’ families and survivors for answers about what happened that night.
When the recognition payment scheme was announced earlier this year, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan stressed that the €20,000 payments were not intended to compensate survivors for their injuries.
Instead, he said the payments were intended to recognise the delays in providing truth and justice following the Stardust fire.
With the application deadline now approaching, survivors who are eligible for the scheme have until 5pm today to submit their applications.
