Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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247. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason there is no separate county coroner for County Westmeath but instead the coroner who covers County Offaly must also carry out the County Westmeath role; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37108/18]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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On the retirement of the Coroner for County Westmeath in June 2018, the duties of Coroner for County Westmeath were assigned to the acting Coroner for County Offaly. Previously, the coroners for Offaly and Westmeath had acted as each other's Deputy Coroner.

Both local authorities are in agreement with the new arrangement.

The position whereby one Coroner has responsibility for two coronial districts in different local authority areas is not an unusual one. A similar situation pertains in both Cavan/Monaghan and Sligo/Leitrim. In proposing such an arrangement both Councils concerned were consulted, with the respective workloads in each district and, of course, the willingness of the coroner to act being taken into account.