Organs inquiry report delayed

The inquiry into the retention of human organs by hospitals has missed the deadline agreed with the Government for producing its first report.

The inquiry, headed by senior counsel Ms Anne Dunne, was to furnish a report into post-mortem practices in paediatric hospitals by the end of this month.

However, a spokesman for the Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Ms Harney, last night said this deadline would not now be met.

The spokesman said the report was now expected by the Department of Health early in the new year.

Parents for Justice, the representative group for parents whose children's organs were retained by hospitals, last night said it was disappointed at the further delay in the production of the report.

A spokeswoman for the group said last night that this was the fifth deadline which the Dunne inquiry has missed.

She said that while the group was disappointed at the delay, it was "anxiously awaiting" the findings of the inquiry in the new year.

The Department of Health revealed several weeks ago that the bill for the inquiry into the controversy had now exceeded €18 million.

The Department said the inquiry had run up costs of €11.577 million to the end of August.

This included fees for the inquiry legal team as well as bills associated with the establishment, rental and administration of an office.

In addition, the Department said it had provided €6.7 million to the Eastern Regional Health Authority and to Parents for Justice to cover costs associated with the inquiry.

This brought the total expenditure on the organ retention inquiry to the end of August to over €18.35 million.

The Dunne inquiry is reviewing post-mortem practices and procedures in all hospitals in the State since 1970.

It is also mandated to examine any arrangements between pharmaceutical companies and hospitals in relation to the retention of organs.

However, the inquiry has been strongly criticised for delays in its operations over recent years.

The December deadline for producing the first report, on post-mortems in the paediatric hospitals, was agreed at a meeting between Ms Dunne and the then minister for health, Mr Martin, in September.

It was also agreed that an examination of the inquiry's methodology would be carried out with a view to producing as comprehensive a report as possible on other outstanding issues by March 31st next.