Lawyer appointed to head organ retentions probe

The Government today appointed a medical lawyer to hold a limited public inquiry into the illegal retention of children’s organs by hospitals.

Health Minister Mary Harney said Dr Deirdre Madden, BL will examine the incomplete findings of the five-year Dunne Inquiry which was recently wound up and hold further public consultations with relevant parties.

Documentation in Anne Dunne’s probe which cost €13m, was presented to Ms Harney in 54 banker's boxes at the end of March.

After a meeting with the Parents for Justice (PFJ) today, Ms Harney said the Dunne Inquiry couldn’t be published in its current form on legal advice and she asked Dr Madden to complete its work by December 21.

“Dr Madden will be appointed immediately and after the examination of the documentation gathered to date, she will agree terms of reference to provide a final report and recommendations by the end of the year which will be then published,” a Health Department statement said.

“It is envisaged that certain aspects of Dr Madden’s work will be conducted in public and that she will engage with PJF and all relevant parties.

“Until this report is published, there cannot be closure on the matter for many families and next of kin affected by post mortem practice and organ retention.”

PFJ spokesperson Fionnuala O’Reilly, whose son’s heart and lungs were removed by a Dublin hospital without her consent in the 1990s, said the inquiry was a “positive development“.

“We’ve already been down the road of a failed inquiry but today’s news is a positive development but we will wait until the terms of reference are worked out.”