Sinn Féin Senator Lynn Boylan has expressed her absolute dismay at the further delay of the Stardust Inquest.

Senator Boylan said:

“I can’t believe that the Department of Justice has created another mess regarding the issue of legal costs for the families of those who died in the horrific Stardust fire. 

“Despite the Department of Justice being warned on numerous occasions that the Legal Aid Route was not the appropriate mechanism for an inquest of this size, they decided to plough ahead anyway.

“In May of this year, Minister Heather Humphreys amended the regulations to ensure that no family involved in the inquest would be means tested however, it appears in the unnecessarily lengthy process of setting up the legal costs for the families, at no point did the Department of Justice see fit to notify the Legal Aid Board.

“We now have a situation whereby the Legal Aid Board have been blindsided by the Department of Justice when it comes to covering the legal costs for the inquest, and the families are once again left in limbo as to when the inquest can begin.

“It seems that there is no end to the failings of the State when it comes to the Stardust fire, the Taoiseach must now directly intervene and ensure that the inquest can begin and that the families legal representatives can be paid.”