Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 182: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will confirm that she has received a number of requests for a meeting from the Parents for Justice group; the date she will hold this meeting; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43173/06]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 183: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will make available to the Parents for Justice group the contents of the 54 boxes presented to her by a person (details supplied) on 31 March 2005; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43174/06]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 184: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will publish the Dunne Report into organ retention; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43175/06]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 185: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will appoint an independent review group to establish whether a public inquiry into organ retention is needed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43176/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 182 to 185, inclusive, together.

Parents for Justice wrote to me on 21st November last to request a meeting but due to pressure of business I am unable to accede to their request at this time. However I have informed the organisation that my officials will be happy to meet them and discuss the issues of concern to them.

When Ms Anne Dunne SC presented her report on post-mortem practice to me in March 2005, I was advised by the Attorney General that it could not be published for legal and natural justice reasons. Some sections of the report were released on 18 July last in response to a request under the Freedom of Information Acts from Parents for Justice. However, in the light of the legal advice available to me, I have no plans to publish the full report, nor do I believe there is anything to be gained from the establishment of a Statutory Inquiry.

Dr. Deirdre Madden, a distinguished expert on medical law, was appointed by Government in May 2005 to provide a report on key issues relating to post-mortem practice and procedures and her report on Post-Mortem Practice and Procedures was published on 18 January this year. Considerable progress has already been made by the Health Service Executive in implementing the recommendations of the Madden Report in hospitals across the country and my officials will continue to liaise with the Executive to monitor progress in this regard.

A key recommendation of the report was that a Working Group be established to examine issues not included in the original terms of reference, that is post-mortem issues relating to babies who died before or during birth, minors and adults. This Group, chaired by Dr. Madden, was set up in March, 2006 and its membership included representatives of Parents For Justice and the Irish Stillbirth and Neo-natal Death Society, together with healthcare professionals from a range of disciplines. I published the Report from the Working Group on 7th November last.

Both Reports stressed the need for legislation to be introduced to ensure that no post-mortem examination will be carried out and no tissue or organ retained from a post-mortem examination for any purpose without appropriate authorisation. I have asked my Department to prepare proposals for consideration by Government in relation to the legislation required to give effect to these recommendations.