THE State probe into the organ retention controversy has turned into a “monumental mess” that could politically damage the Government, a campaign group warned yesterday.

Hundreds of parents of children who had their organs illegally removed by hospitals have been betrayed by the Government because it won’t set up a public inquiry into the scandal, it was claimed today.

THE State’s five-year inquiry into the organ retention scandal may not be able to complete its work because a senior member of the investigation who quit his post has not been replaced.

FAMILIES of children whose organs were retained by hospitals without consent have said they are disheartened by a move to withdraw a compensation offer from parents who suffered a similar ordeal in Britain.

THE drugs company that made medication from brain tissue taken from dead infants without their parents’ knowledge confirmed last night it had paid hospitals for supplying the body parts.

FAMILIES devastated by the organ retention scandal face further heartache as they wait to be told that their deceased children’s body parts were supplied to a pharmaceutical company for drug production.

IRELAND is lagging years behind Britain in ensuring that consent is obtained before body parts are kept by hospitals, a support group for parents at the centre of the Irish organ retention scandal claimed yesterday.

MORE than 700 families affected by the organ retention scandal are to sue Health Minister Micheál Martin for stress and trauma.

THOUSANDS of families believe that organs have been removed from their dead relatives without their consent, according to Parents for Justice.

The Parents for Justice group, which withdrew from the Dunne Inquiry which was set up to examine the retention of organs during post mortem examinations, yesterday reiterated its call that the inquiry be established on a statutory basis.

A STATUTORY inquiry has been demanded into revelations that hundreds of brains from deceased adults were removed for research purposes without consent.

HEALTH Minister Micheál Martin is refusing to bow to pressure to scrap the non-statutory inquiry into the organ retention scandal.

HEALTH Minister Micheál Martin is under mounting pressure to establish a statutory inquiry into the organ retention scandal after 50 more families sued the State for damages.

HUNDREDS of families involved in the organ retention scandal are to hand over files to the gardaí for criminal investigation.

CARDINAL Desmond Connell is under pressure from parents at the centre of the organ retention scandal over his failure to respond to their request to meet them.

PARENTS at the centre of the organ retention scandal will draw up a plan of action to break the impasse in the investigation next week.

HEALTH Minister Micheál Martin is unfit to hold office, parents involved in the organ retention scandal said yesterday.

FAMILIES intent on halting the organ retention inquiry say their concerns about it have been justified by a progress report on the investigation.

HEALTH Minister Micheál Martin has been accused of keeping a report on the State inquiry into the organ retention scandal under wraps.

FIFTEEN families, whose deceased children’s organs were removed without parental permission, have handed over files to the gardaí for criminal investigation.

MANAGEMENT of the Dublin hospital at the centre of an organ retention scandal has been accused of underhand dealings after it emerged that blanket indemnity had been sought for staff prior to an inquiry.

HEALTH Minister Micheál Martin said yesterday there would be a statutory inquiry into the children’s organ retention scandal but that switching to it before the Dunne Inquiry is completed would be pointless.

A GROUP of parents whose dead children’s organs were removed without their consent may take court action if Health Minister Michaél Martin fails to give full powers to an inquiry into the scandal.

The report into the organ retention scandal is due to be discussed by cabinet today.

The Parents for Justice group is due to meet officials from the Dunne Inquiry today to discuss its ongoing investigation into the unauthorised removal of organs from dead babies.

A team tasked with investigating the retention of organs by hospitals has been criticised by a group representing families affected by the scandal.

Parents of children whose organs were retained by hospitals without their knowledge have expressed concern that an inquiry into the scandal may never materialise.