Harney to receive organ retention report today

Minister for Health Mary Harney will today receive the long-awaited report into the retention of children's organs by a number of hospitals.

However it may be a couple of weeks before the report, which will examine postmortem practices in three paediatric hospitals, is officially published.

A spokesman for Ms Harney told The Irish Times last night the report of the inquiry headed by senior counsel Anne Dunne was expected by the Department of Health this morning.

The report will be given to the Attorney General to examine the implications arising from the naming of people in the document. The spokesman said Ms Harney would subsequently bring the report to Cabinet. She has also agreed to brief Parents for Justice, the organisation representing families whose children's organs were retained without consent by hospitals, on the content of the report.

On receipt of the report today Ms Harney will formally dissolve the Dunne inquiry which has been beset by controversy in recent times over missed deadlines and soaring costs.

The inquiry has to date directly cost around €13 million. A further €6 million has been provided by the department to health authorities and the Parents for Justice group to offset costs generated by participation in the investigation.

The inquiry was established by the Government five years ago to examine postmortem practices in hospitals dating back to 1970 with particular reference to organ removal, retention, storage and disposal. The inquiry was also mandated to examine arrangements between hospitals and pharmaceutical firms in relation to the retention of organs.

The spokeswoman for Parents for Justice, Fionnuala O'Reilly said the group was glad to be getting some form of report after five years of waiting.

Fine Gael health spokesman Dr Liam Twomey said families affected by the organ retention were expecting answers about the controversy as had been promised to them by both Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and former minister for health Micheál Martin.He feared there may be legal difficulties in publishing the report in full.