Varadkar: Lab delays are distressing for bereaved families

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has acknowledged that delays in processing toxicology samples at the State Laboratory are causing distress to families waiting to establish how a loved one died.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has acknowledged that delays in processing toxicology samples at the State Laboratory are causing distress to families waiting to establish how a loved one died.

And while he has not dismissed outsourcing the processing of these samples, he said the issue was complicated as in some cases samples were central to prosecutions in court and a clear chain of evidence had to be maintained.