The Tánaiste and Minister for Health Mary Harney said the Government would produce legislation and a statutory framework in relation to organ retention and disposal as speedily as possible following the publication of the Madden report today.
"It's going to be difficult legislation but we will do it," the Tánaiste said.
She also said the Government would be establishing a working group next week and that a helpline (1850 241 850) for affected parents and next of kin would be staffed from tomorrow.
"No parent should ever have to cope with what happened in relation to organ retention," she said.
"The death of a loved one is the most difficult experience any of us would endure, particularly in the case where it's a child."
But the Tanaiste said today's standards could not be applied to what happened in the seventies, eighties and nineties where organ retention practises were commonplace around the world.
"Of course we're sorry, everybody has to be sorry, there's no question of that.
"The purpose of this report was to look at what happened in Ireland in practice and policy, and what has been established is that nobody intentionally set out to offend or disrespect and what was happening in Ireland was happening right around the world and was international practice at the time."
"Changing the culture is going to take some time," she conceded.
Asked why parent support group Parents For Justice had not received the report before this afternoon, the Tánaiste said it was practice to put the report first before the Government and parents' groups and hospitals had received the report as the cabinet meeting ended.
The report recommended the Department of Health and Children should put in place a national policy on organ retention and a public information campaign alerting parents and next of kin that there may be retained organs in hospitals.