The Minister for Justice is expected to decide tomorrow whether to exhume the remains of a baby girl buried at Glasnevin cemetery, Dublin, 33 years ago.
On Tuesday, Dublin County Coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty requested that Mr McDowell grant an exhumation order on the infant's remains from the Little Angels plot at the cemetery at the reopened inquest into her death.
The inquest into the baby's death was reopened last September after legal representations were made on behalf of Cynthia Owen, the woman who came forward 11 years ago claiming to be the mother of the baby girl, called Noleen.
Ms Owen has claimed the baby was one of two she gave birth to at a young age as a result of sexual abuse during the 1970s when she was living in Dalkey, south Dublin.
"The Department [of Justice] is consulting with An Garda Síochána and professional experts about the implications of the request for exhumation. It's likely that a decision will be made within the next day or so," a department spokeswoman said yesterday.
Meanwhile, the voluntary, independent body that owns and operates Glasnevin cemetery, the Dublin Cemeteries Committee, yesterday hand-delivered a letter to the department outlining its opposition to the requested exhumation.
Committee chief executive George McCullough said he believed the infant's remains would have decomposed and possibly hundreds of other infant's remains would be disturbed during the exhumation, causing great distress to many families.
"What would be there after 33 years? That infant's bones were not calcified - that means it would be basically tissue. What would be there would be a conglomerate mass. The letter clearly says I am not in favour of this. I've had quite a lot more calls today from families unhappy about this," Mr McCullough added.