Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is vital we gather information on unidentified remains that lie within the State and that we put in place a system whereby they can be identified. The families of missing persons require and deserve closure. The forum, comprising representatives of the Coroners Society of Ireland, the Garda and Forensic Science Ireland, which are agencies the Deputy referenced, will continue its valuable work in this regard.

My Department has established a standing committee that is tasked with considering the core issues involved in the provision of a sustainable pathology service to coroners in the long term. The committee includes representatives from the Department, the Coroners Society of Ireland, the Office of the State Pathologist, the HSE, the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland and local authorities. More broadly, my Department is committed to introducing proposals on the comprehensive reform of the Coroner Service to deliver a service improvement plan that will address identified issues – innovative change, enhancing customer service and improving the interaction with pathology services. It is intended to conduct a public consultation exercise prior to the development of proposals on comprehensive reform.

I acknowledge the Deputy's interest in, and active work on, this matter. I accept his point about the length of time it took to get from there to here, but with the new centralised database, we have taken a significant step forward. It was a core request of families of missing persons. We are not finished yet, though, and we are determined to continue doing everything we can to have the systems and supports in place to provide answers for families, identify remains and bring some element of closure. The stakeholder forum remains in place and involves all of the agencies and organisations the Deputy mentioned. It will meet a number of times more this year. On foot of this debate, I will ask that the Deputy's suggestion and input be fed into that process. I am happy to keep in contact with him on it.

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