Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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516. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the date on which he proposes to implement the Coroners Bill 2007; when he will bring the matter of payment of coroners' fees and expenses under the remit of his Department; his views on whether local authorities should be responsible for these payments in view of the fact that the role of coroners has clearly nothing to do with the workload of local authorities in the first instance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48993/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Coroners Bill 2007 is before the Seanad having been restored to the Order Paper on my initiative. The Bill is in the course of being reviewed with a view, among other matters, to making it as cost-effective as possible. All governance and administrative matters in regard to coroners, including the historic role of the local authorities, are being examined in the context of the review. I appreciate that issues of funding are of importance to local authorities at this time. It would be the broad intention that ultimately reform in this area should be broadly cost neutral. While it would be my wish to be in a position to progress this important Bill, it is not possible to indicate with any certainty at this point, the likely timetable in that regard.

The Deputy will be aware that a number of early reform measures in regard to the coroners service have been taken. The Courts and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2013 included amendments to the Coroners Act 1962 and the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 to provide for the provision of legal advice and legal aid in respect of certain inquests. The Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2011 provided for some early reforms in coronial matters, including an amalgamation of the Dublin County and City coronial districts.