Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Senator Ward knows more about this area than I because he works in it professionally as a barrister. Senator Ward, the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, and I are like Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown on tour because we were all councillors in the same local authority once upon a time. While I am always delighted to see the Minister of State, I would possibly have preferred to see the Minister, Deputy McEntee.

We had the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, in the House on Tuesday, when we outlined concerns on Second Stage that were brought to me by the president of the Coroners Society of Ireland, Dr. Eleanor Fitzgerald, and I have had other representations since from other coroners. They are concerned not about the part about Dublin getting or needing more coroners, which is a given that everyone accepts, but that this is doing an awful lot more than just that. To be fair to the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, he said he would bring those concerns to the Minister, who was to be here today. Unfortunately, she is not here and I am not sure if the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond, is as up to speed as the Minister, although possibly he is. We outlined concerns on Tuesday and I hope we might hear the responses to those concerns that Senator Ward has already outlined.

There is genuine concern regarding their quasi-judicial functions and independence. Although it may be a completely unintended consequence, there is a fear that their role and position are being changed from a permanent position to a contract for a fixed term, which may or may not be renewed based on how someone did in the last term. For right or wrong, those are the concerns they have. They may be unfounded concerns but they are concerns that they have raised with us, and it is incumbent on us to get responses, if possible, from the Minister of State, or, if not, ultimately, from the Minister. I understand that we are taking Committee and Remaining Stages and that it still has to go to the Dáil, and if changes are not made here, they may need to be made in the Dáil at a later stage. I would be interested to hear from the Minister of State, Deputy Richmond.