Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 July 2021
98. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Justice the status of the work of her Department in relation to the identification of unidentified bodies and linking this data with the missing persons database; and the progress her Department has made in its work referenced in a reply to a Topical Issue matter raised by this Deputy on 4 March 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36632/21]
View answerI would like to ask the Minister for Justice the status of the work of her Department on the identification of unidentified bodies, how this data is linked with the missing persons database and the progress her Department has made in its work referenced in the reply to my Topical Issue matter earlier this year.
I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. At the outset, I would like to acknowledge the pain and trauma experienced by all families of missing persons. I am deeply conscious of how difficult life is for loved ones who simply do not know what has happened to their relative. My Department is committed to working with all relevant State bodies to help more families find their missing relatives.
As the Deputy will be aware, the national DNA database, administered by Forensic Science Ireland, FSI, has been a significant breakthrough in identifying missing and unknown persons in recent years. Since 2017, FSI has assisted in the identification of 48 sets of human remains of individuals who had been unknown up to that point. In 2020, DNA profiling and relationship testing, in partnership with the missing persons unit of An Garda Síochána, was used to help in identifying nine people. FSI and the Garda have worked in partnership over the past number of years to deliver a DNA testing facility for families of missing persons at the national missing persons day ceremony run by my Department annually, significantly enhancing the event.
I am informed that preliminary work was carried out by An Garda Síochána in 2019 to gather information on unidentified remains that may be located with individual coroners across the country. My officials have examined ways to update and take forward that work, while fully respecting the independent role of the coroners as set out in the Coroners Act 1962.
To this end, I have recently approved the following measures. My officials will write to each coroner to ask what cases of unidentified remains he or she has dealt with since 2019 and progress in this area will be monitored centrally through a new question on the annual statistics return from coroners. The results of the number of cases identified in each coronial district will be shared with the Garda missing persons unit. This will provide an overview of the current situation since 2019 across the country.
I thank the Minister. This is not a confrontational exchange. Rather, I am seeking to improve what the State is providing. What the Minister has said is good. However, I have an issue with the date of 2019. Another lot of these cases are historical and go back a few decades. We are not talking about going back to the 1900s or even the early 20th century. Cases date from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and early 2000s.
At the moment there are 22 unidentified bodies and over 810 people on the missing persons list. There are many more unidentified bodies in cemeteries all over the country that are not contained in any database. There is an awful lot of work to do to find the truth for these families. We need an unidentified remains unit. Great work is being done by FSI, and the Garda missing persons unit is doing its work. However, we need some expertise to join that up and it needs to be resourced by the State. It would not require huge resources, but it is needed.
I agree with the Deputy. A family who has a missing person they cannot find wonder every day whether that person will return, even though in their heart of hearts they know the person will not. It is a very difficult time for them.
The issue of unidentified remains has received coverage in recent months following the identification of the remains of Mr. Denis Walsh in February this year. While only identified this year, Mr. Walsh's body was recovered on Inis Mór in 1996. We can only imagine the heartache that his family has gone through. I know the family and it has been a terrible time for them, in particular his elderly parents.
A lot of work is going on at the moment. The missing persons unit is assisted in this vital work by local Garda stations, gardaí and the network of family liaison officers around the country who all perform crucial roles.
A lot of work is being done. To quote Ms Clare Clarke Keane, who has sought the truth about her sister Priscilla, who has been missing since 1988, when family members approach a coroner's office or cemetery it still feels like turning up at a lost property office. That is how much separation there is between what the State is doing and how families feel.
That said, I take the Minister's initial answer. We are moving forward. The work of Mr. Barry Cummins in RTÉ has been fantastic. He has made a case on behalf of the families for years.
There are not many cases, but it is important that the State does everything it can to find the truth for these families, who are going through unimaginable grief every hour of every day. I look forward to raising this matter again until we get to a stage where we feel we have a system in place that will help them.
Considerable progress has been made by FSI. The DNA testing of families has helped the agency to make matches in particular cases. To date, the remains of 53 missing persons have been identified thanks to the DNA database. Through FSI, there is a great deal of focus on this issue. We will continue working with the families. There is an annual day of commemoration, and some of the samples taken on those days have helped to make matches with cases.
I agree with the Deputy that this is a difficult issue. We will continue to support FSI and various other bodies in trying to resolve the outstanding cases as quickly as possible.
