Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for coming forward with amendments and giving a very detailed explanation of each one. I thank his officials, in particular Ms Regina Terry, for their work, and all of those in the Department and the Office of the Attorney General who provided legal back-up support in bringing forward the amendments. It is a very technical Bill and it is important that we get it right. It is also important that I acknowledge the Law Reform Commission's extensive 2013 report which set out all of the issues which needed to be addressed. It was great to be able to work from that background document and bring forward the Bill.

I thank my colleagues, Senators Marie-Louise O'Donnell and Ruane, for their work. Cross-party support on this matter was important. The current law creates a significant vacuum for families. Sometimes there is clear evidence that a person has died, something which was brought home to me after a debate here in 2016 when a family contacted me about a young girl who disappeared. Her car was found on a beach and her clothes were found. A note had been left and it was clear she had died, yet the family was left in limbo and was unable to finalise anything about her estate. The Bill deals with such cases and it is to be hoped it will be passed by the Dáil in the not too distant future.

I thank my colleagues for their comments and contribution to this debate. I look forward to seeing the Bill passed into law and being commenced. In the amendments brought forward the Department approached areas in the Bill which were not covered by the Law Reform Commission even though it examined the issue. That is not a criticism of it, rather it shows how technical the Department got in dealing with this matter and making sure all angles were covered. I thank it for its expertise and willingness to deal with me, as well as its assistance to me in bringing the Bill to a conclusion in the House. I thank the Department, the Minister and my colleagues.