Garret Ahearn (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

When one talks about common sense, I ask Members to wait until they hear this one.Funeral directors in Cashel, County Tipperary, received a letter from Tipperary County Council last week, stating that the payment for funerals must be made before the burial takes place. I do not know if everyone in this House has experienced going to a funeral director and the interaction involved. There are decisions that must be made, including picking a coffin and everything that goes with that. The last thing one wants is to have a discussion about payment. Even in the letter the council sent out, a copy of which I have here, it states that if the funeral is on at the weekend, of course the offices are closed so one cannot make a payment. One can, however, do a bank transaction and the details are included in the letter. Is there any sort of cop-on there at all?

I understand that councils must get paid for a service, whether that is digging a grave or paying for a plot, but there are ways of going about it. There are different types of funerals. Some celebrate life and others are tragic. Telling a family that they must fork out €450 to dig a grave, or €1,800 to buy a plot, which is really two plots, before they even have the burial is a mad idea, beyond a bad idea. It is absolute madness that this would happen.

Will the Leader ask the Minister with responsibility for local government to write to Tipperary County Council? This is happening in Tipperary town and Cashel at the moment. I spoke to Mr. James Devitt, a brilliant funeral director in Cashel. He is a good, decent and hard-working man. It is not his responsibility to collect money for Tipperary County Council. That is the responsibility of the council. There are occasions where a funeral happens and people cannot afford it, for whatever reason, and the State comes in to support it. That comes after the funeral. One cannot expect people to pay for something when the State is covering them for it after the fact. The situation around the school bus is mad but this is absolutely bonkers and totally unacceptable. I would appreciate it if the Minister would write to the county council as quickly as possible to ensure this does not happen in other areas. It is outrageous.