7.—(1) An action for the recovery of damages under this Act shall not be brought after the expiration of three years from the date on which the cause of action accrued or the date (if later) on which the plaintiff became aware, or should reasonably have become aware, of the damage, the defect and the identity of the producer.

(2) (a) A right of action under this Act shall be extinguished upon the expiration of the period of ten years from the date on which the producer put into circulation the actual product which caused the damage unless the injured person has in the meantime instituted proceedings against the producer.

(b) Paragraph (a) of this subsection shall have effect whether or not the right of action accrued or time began to run during the period referred to in subsection (1) of this section.

(3) Sections 9 and 48 (6) of the Civil Liability Act, 1961, shall not apply to an action for the recovery of damages under this Act.

(4) The Statutes of Limitation, 1957 and 1991, shall apply to an action under this Act subject to the provisions of this section.

(5) For the purposes of subsection (4)—

(a) subsection (1) of this section shall be deemed to be a provision of the Statute of Limitations (Amendment) Act, 1991, of the kind referred to in section 2 (1) of that Act,

(b) “injury” where it occurs in that Act except in section 2 (1) (b) thereof includes damage to property, and “person injured” and, “injured” shall be construed accordingly, and

(c) the reference in subsection (1) of this section to the date when the plaintiff became aware, or should reasonably have become aware, of the damage, the defect and the identity of the producer shall be construed in accordancewith section 2 of that Act, but nothing in this paragraph shall prejudice the application of section 1 (3) of this Act.