Paudge Connolly (Cavan-Monaghan, Independent)

I, too, welcome the Bill, which I obviously support. The legislation, which has particular relevance in the Cavan-Monaghan area at the moment, must be reviewed. In such a situation, one must establish the cause of death rather than lay blame at anyone's door. In many situations it can be quite straightforward to establish cause of death, but there are some situations where it is quite difficult. There are issues to address. One may call only two medical witnesses, something seen in the case of Frances Sheridan to which Deputy Ó Caoláin referred. There is no reason for that to be restricted. If a jury wishes to ask questions, it should not be limited. It is very important that every detail needed to reach a conclusion be forthcoming.

A family hopes to achieve closure following a death. It will have been through several traumatic incidents, including the death itself. The inquest is generally the last in a line of such events and constitutes the commencement of closure. However, for the Sheridan family, it has led to many more questions. To be told, despite professional advice to the jury, that a nine year old child has died from natural causes to some extent adds insult to injury. We all have family members who have had an appendix removed, and to be told that death is a natural occurrence thereafter is not acceptable. It must be re-examined.

As I said, this compounds the grief of the family, which now feels it has been let down by the health service. The child was brought in to the health service, and the GP accurately diagnosed the ailment, which was quite complicated — volvulus, I believe. The notes of the GP who examined her got lost in the system, and the notes were not available. The family felt let down by the health system, and now it feels let down by the justice system too. These matters must be examined now rather than waiting 12 months for developments.

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