Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the contributors. I address my opening remarks to Ms Corrigan. I thank her sincerely for her opening statement, which began with her personal story. In this session probably more than in any other session today, we need to begin by remembering that these were real people who had potential lives to live. They could have been with us today and could have been mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers at this stage. It is most important to remember them before we get on to any analytical discussion of how the process can be facilitated. We need to remember that these were human beings who had all of their lives before them.

Ms Corrigan's submission set a template with three central themes: to identify those buried; to establish if there was any criminality; and to investigate what led to such tragic events occurring to ensure they will not happen again. I think that reflects the theme of transitional justice that we have heard throughout today.

Taking that as our template and our guidance document, I turn to the contributions of Dr. Donoghue and Dr. McCullagh. While I hear them, particularly Dr. McCullagh, being specific about language and express terms in the Bill, are there also express conditions or boundaries within the legislation that fetter the evolution of science to be of assistance in the future? Are there different methods associated with DNA or other scientific methods that can be employed or that we should prepare for? Is the legislation sufficiently open to facilitate scientific evolution over a number of years? I am mindful that there is a ten-year limit on the keeping of DNA but I would be open to the committee urging that the ten-year limit be extended so that we facilitate science evolving.

Dr. McCullagh said there was no prescriptive method regarding post mortem excavation and how the remains are to be handled. Has a best practice been established arising from natural disasters or otherwise? I am talking about events such as the one at Hillsborough. How is that dealt with?