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

I move amendment No. 50:

In page 34, line 11, to delete "person and shall require the person" and substitute "persons, across a range of appropriate disciplines and shall require such persons to".

There should be more emphasis in the Bill on an integrated identification approach involving a multidisciplinary response. For example, there is no mention of forensic anthropology in the Bill. Forensic anthropologists will be essential in the analysis of the human remains and, in co-ordination with forensic geneticists, in re-associating the human remains recovered. The absence of a clear statement of their role in the process risks having unqualified and inexperienced professionals carrying out this work. Working with commingled remains is highly complex and will require experts with sufficient experience to carry out the work.

In relation to amendment No. 51, it is important that any excavation, recovery and post-recovery analysis of young remains is in line with the Coroners Act.