Professor Denis Cusack:

They are set down in statute in Schedule 2 to the amending legislation. For every death reported where a coroner has to consider what to do and whether it needs a post mortem or can be signed off, that is €128. If it goes to post mortem, then the coroner has to go through the post mortem and issue further certification. This is approximately €180. If it goes to full inquest, it is €520. I have the figures and we can do a quick sum. In 2021 there were a total of 25,421 cases. Of these, 18,746 were report only and this can be multiplied by €128. There were 4,574 post mortem only, which can be multiplied by €180. There were 2,101 inquests and this can be multiplied by €520. It is a simple calculation. Out of this the coroner's service must pay everything. There are also expenses. We have to pay pathologists and the State Laboratory for toxicology. Witnesses probably have to be paid although many witnesses do not put in for expenses. All of this is certified by the coroner and it comes from the local authority. Local authority managers have an interesting perspective on why it should still be a local system from the 19th century and not a centralised system in the Department of Justice.