Guidelines for medical researchers on the ethical handling of human tissue samples will be ready before the end of the year, prepared by a new bioethics body launched by the Tánaiste.
Ms Harney yesterday officially launched the Irish Council for Bioethics. Its role is to consider the ethical issues raised by developments in biological and medical research.
The council had a significant role because of the dramatic increase in State spending on research, Ms Harney said yesterday.
"It is important we would have available to the country the best possible expertise. Ethical issues are going to arise more and more and we need the best possible advice," she said. "Because of the independence of the council it will have authority," she stated.
"Ireland can not and will not be involved in any experiments involving human embryos," she declared.
The new council is based in the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin but operates completely independently from it. Its chairman, Prof Patrick Fottrell, announced the creation of three working groups, which will focus on specific ethical areas.
These include expert groups on the proper handling of human biological material; on genetically engineered organisms; and on ethics committees already in place here.
The discovery that many hospitals had retained tissues without consent including deceased childrens' organs, caused widespread public indignation. The issue continues to cause controversy between the Minister for Health and Children, Mr Martin, and the families. Ethical guidelines meant to control the handling of tissue samples should be ready within six to 12 months according to the head of the biological samples working group, Dr Mark Lawler, a molecular haematologist at St James's Hospital and Trinity College. "I want to move it forward as quickly as possible," he said. "We would be aiming to produce a report within the year."
The council has 21 members and experts can be co-opted into the working groups, Prof Fottrell said, and all are volunteers. "There hasn't been a body heretofore looking at these issues with such a breadth and depth of expertise," he said yesterday. "We would hope to engage the public through every means possible," he added. "We will try to see if we can win over public confidence and we intend to do that."
The body received funding from Forfás to cover its small secretariat and its scientific officer, Dr Siobhan O'Sullivan, for three years.