The chairwoman of the organs inquiry, Ms Anne Dunne SC, has been formally told she will have to complete her inquiry by next March.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, and Ms Dunne met yesterday for an hour, at the Minister's request. The Minister conveyed the Government's decision to impose a deadline on the inquiry.
It was the first time Mr Martin and Ms Dunne met since recent revelations regarding the number of hospitals which harvested without consent pituitary glands from patients during post mortems in the 1970s and 80s and then supplied them to pharmaceutical companies
Ms Dunne told Mr Martin she would present him with her first report in December. It will deal with post-mortem practices in paediatric hospitals.
The Dunne inquiry has been sitting in private for over three years and to date has cost over €15 million. It was originally expected that the inquiry would be completed in six months.
After Ms Dunne presents her first comprehensive report in December, she will then have to report on practices in maternity and general hospitals.
The terms of reference of her inquiry may now have to be reviewed in order to allow her complete her work by March 31st 2005. She is due to meet Mr Martin again in a few weeks.
Parents for Justice, the organisation representing families who had organs retained, last night called on Mr Martin to state if he had obtained an explanation from Ms Dunne as to why she had not reported when expected and whether or not she was happy with the level of co-operation she was receiving from hospitals, doctors and pharmaceutical companies. Parents for Justice pulled out of the inquiry in 2002 because they were unhappy it did not have powers of compellability.