Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this important matter and for the opportunity it provides me to supply what I hope are some useful updates to the House on the issues he raised.

The Coroner Service is a network of coroners in districts throughout our country. As the Senator reminded us, coroners are independent, quasi-judicial officials whose function is to investigate sudden and unexplained deaths so that a death certificate can issue. This is an important public service to the living and, in particular, to the next of kin and friends of the deceased. I am very conscious of the point made by the Senator that it is often a function that needs to be carried out to enable the grieving process to advance, and enable the family and funeral gathering to take place. It is, therefore, important we thank our coroners for the work they do and support them. Coroners not only provide closure for those bereaved but also perform a wider public service because they can identify through their work matters of public health and safety concerns.

The Dublin district mortuary, DDM, is the responsibility of the Dublin senior coroner. This person is obviously an independent statutory officer. Neither I nor my Department have any role in that quasi-judicial coronial function. However, my Department has been responsible, as the Senator reminded us, for supporting the work of the Dublin district coroner’s office, including the DDM, in finance, staffing, administration and so on since 1 January 2018. Three additional temporary coroners have recently been appointed to facilitate what is a significant workload in the Dublin district. My Department has also facilitated the opening of two new Coroner's Courts in the Richmond Education and Event Centre, Dublin 7. This move is intended to increase the number of inquests that can be held annually and will support the Coroner Service in Dublin by continuing to provide independent and compassionate death investigation for families and the wider community.

I acknowledge that timeframes for the release of remains to families can vary. They are dependent on a number of factors, including the number of deceased persons who are cared for at the mortuary at any given time. This is somewhat unpredictable and can peak on occasion. It is certainly my intention, and that of my Department and the team in the DDM, to ensure that waiting times for post mortems are kept to a minimum. We are extremely conscious of the extraordinarily sensitive and vulnerable time at which these issues arise. If someone has already lost a loved one, they will desperately want the remains back so they can grieve the person with dignity and, as the Senator said, in the Irish traditions we practise relatively well in this country.

Waiting times for post mortems are influenced by a number of factors, including the following. In the Dublin district, a number of hospitals have withdrawn provision of pathology services for coroners' post mortems. This has put an increased pressure on the DDM in respect of body storage and post mortems. It is increasingly challenging to secure the services of histopathologists to carry out coroner-directed post mortems. In response to this challenge, my Department has now established a standing committee on the provision of coroner-directed post mortems. The DDM is staffed by a team of professional, committed and dedicated anatomical pathology technicians, APTs. The recruitment environment for APTs is challenging at present. In order to ensure the DDM is adequately resourced, officials in my Department have secured the services of two locums and are in the process of securing another. In an attempt to address the challenges in recruiting APTs, a trainee programme was launched in 2021 with two trainees now appointed. My officials are currently seeking to appoint new trainee APTs to generate a pipeline of staff into the future. I will also inform the Senator that officials are currently engaged in a process of recruiting a full-time mortuary manager this year.

I hope the Senator will take from my answer that a number of actions are under way to try to ensure we can keep waiting times to a minimum. I accept much more work needs to be done in this area. I will certainly ensure it continues to receive a focus.