Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Thanks, Chair. I am in Leinster House.

I thank the Minister for taking the time to meet the committee here this morning. I welcome the chance for this engagement.

I want to follow up on what Deputy Cairns was talking about. We know that the DNA will provide who the people were and, hopefully, survivors or families will get answers on that. Many of the families and survivors who were in contact with me in relation to "the how". In one of the committee meetings, I asked Dr. Niamh McCullagh and she stated that the technology that will be used could provide the how. At that stage, what is the role of the coroner once that technology is there that can show how people's loved ones died?

The Minister said in his opening statement that the "legislation will provide the legal basis to test DNA using techniques beyond those currently used in the criminal justice system." That is a strong and welcome statement. Does the Minister believe that this technology will be robust enough to trigger criminal investigations down the line? Does he believe that survivors and family members will get to know how their loved one died? At what point does the coroner get involved in the process once the how is decided, as it relates to criminal investigations in the future? Where does the coroner fit into that process? I am a little confused on that. Many of the family members and survivors who were speaking to me want to hold somebody to account for the loss of their loved ones. Whether it is malnutrition, neglect or something more sinister, they want to get answers on that. Basically, that is the question I have.