All hospitals in the State should be included in the terms of reference of the inquiry into post-mortem policy announced by the Minister for Health and Children, according to the Royal College of Physicians in Ireland.
The Faculty of Pathology at the college has made a written submission to the Minister promising its full co-operation and suggesting far-reaching terms of reference. The inquiry was set up following controversy about the handling of organs from children's remains.
In relation to the disposing of human organs and tissue, the faculty refers to several problem areas. "Burial of formalin (medical preservative) fixed tissue is not allowed under the health and safety legislation. There are difficulties in relation to cremations and the only alternative at present is incineration," it says.
The pathology faculty also calls for the introduction of fresh legislation in the form of an up-to-date Human Tissue Act.
The submission assures the Minister of the faculty's full co-operation with the inquiry.
"We feel that guidelines for obtaining consent and the consent form, which we have released, have addressed the most important areas that are in the power of the faculty to resolve," the statement adds.
The ministerial inquiry will want to establish why autopsy practice at the Coombe Women's Hospital - which did not retain whole organs - differed from that of the other major maternity units. The pathology faculty guidelines published last week clearly state that a post mortem must include the retention of samples such as blood, tissue and organs.
Whether the completeness of an autopsy would be substantially compromised in the absence of such retention will be a key issue for the inquiry.