Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I again thank the Deputy for raising this matter The Department of Justice is committed to driving the modernisation of the coroner service in Ireland. There are many positive aspects to the current service. Foremost is the compassion of coroners and their staff when engaging with bereaved family members.

A number of areas would benefit from being modernised. For this reform process to be effective, it needs to take into account the views of coroners and people who interact with the coroner service. The Department of Justice is working on the modernisation project in respect of the Dublin district coroner's office, for which it has operational responsibility. It is intended that the lessons learned in the Dublin district will be used in the development of a national model once the supporting legislation has been enacted.

A new coroners Act will also review the criteria that dictate whether a death investigation is required, with a view to conducting a low number of death investigations, where possible, to minimise the impact on bereaved families. Ireland undertakes more coronial death investigations than comparable jurisdictions and it is a process that can be highly distressing, as the Deputy said, for families of the bereaved. The needs of those bereaved families will be at the centre of the Department's reforms.

A restructured and modernised coroner service will drive consistency and assist coroners in the delivery of this important service. We will revert to the Deputy on the timing of the Bill, which I mentioned in my first contribution. We will also revert with the details of the additional support provided to the Dublin coroner service.

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