Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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667. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the status of the steps she has taken to set up a public inquiry into the death of a person (details supplied) which was agreed to by a vote in Dáil Éireann; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36494/20]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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671. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality when she plans to commence an inquiry into the death of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36755/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 667 and 671 together.

At the outset I would again like to offer my sincere condolences to the family of the late Shane O'Farrell. I understand that Shane was an exceptional young man and his death nine years ago at the age of just 23 was a terrible tragedy.

As the Deputy will be aware, a retired Judge, Gerard Haughton, is currently conducting a scoping exercise into the tragic circumstances surrounding Shane's death.  The Judge furnished an interim report to my predecessor last November.  Following consultation between the Judge, Shane's family and the Attorney General, the interim report was published on 17 December 2019.

In his interim report, the Judge stated that he would not restrict or limit Shane's family in their submissions to him or the nature and extent of the documentation they wished to furnish to him in his scoping exercise.

My Department maintains regular contact with the Judge and has assured him that any assistance he requires to complete his final report will be made available. However, given the COVID-19 restrictions, the Judge has recently informed my Department that it is likely to be mid-December before he will be in a position to conclude the scoping exercise.

The Deputy may wish to note that it is open to the Judge to make any recommendation he sees fit in his final report, including the establishment of any form of statutory or non-statutory inquiry.  I hope the Deputy will appreciate that it is only appropriate that I await the recommendation of the final report of this scoping exercise before making any decision in relation to further inquiries into this matter.