The Department of Health is to appoint a senior member of the legal profession to undertake an initial private inquiry into the controversy over the retention of organs following post-mortems on babies by several leading hospitals.
The Irish Times has learnt that the Minister for Health and Children, Mr Martin, wants the issues raised in the report by the senior lawyer examined by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children.
The committee, chaired by the Fianna Fail TD Mr Batt O'Keeffe, will have the power to compel witnesses to attend hearings as well as the power of discoverability of documents.
Mr Martin yesterday met the Parents for Justice Group which represents parents whose children died at several hospitals in the 1980s and 1990s. It has emerged in recent months that hospitals, including the Rotunda and the National Maternity Hospital, retained organs when performing post-mortems on stillborn children or on infants who died shortly after birth.
A spokesman for the parents, Ms Fiona O'Reilly, said they were very pleased with the meeting. There had been a "significant meetings of minds" between the group and Mr Martin on the need for a speedy inquiry which guaranteed compellability of witnesses and discovery of documents.