asked the Minister for Justice if he is aware of the concern of a family (name supplied) in County Mayo regarding the loss of their son from the fishing vessel Wavercrest on the 4th July, 1971, and whose body was found on the 7th July, 1971, in view of the facts that (a) they or their legal representative were not invited to attend the inquest and (b) they have not received an official notice as to the cause of his death; and if he will investigate the matter.
Written Answers. - Fishing Tragedy.
56.
Although I have no function in relation to the holding of inquests or in relation to decisions as to what witnesses are called, I have already, on humanitarian grounds, fully inquired into this matter in so far as it was possible for me to do so after the lapse of several years—the death occurred nearly six years ago. All the information that was ascertainable has been conveyed to the family and there is no further action that is open to me.
There are aspects of this matter that affect the rights of several other persons and I do not consider that I could appropriately comment further in public on it but I am quite prepared to send the Deputy a detailed statement in writing about it if he so wishes.
In the meantime, and again emphasising that this is not a matter in which my Department are officially involved, may I put on record that it is not correct to say that the family had no official notice of the cause of death? I am informed that official notice, in the form of a copy of the inquest verdict, was sent by the coroner to two different solicitors who acted for the family in August, 1971 but, apart from that, a further copy was obtained by my Department and sent to them, through a parliamentary colleague of the Deputy, some 15 months ago.