Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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315. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if his attention has been drawn to the fact that post mortem examinations required by the coroner are not carried out in Sligo Regional Hospital on many weekends; if it has been brought to his attention that if a person dies in Sligo on a Friday and a post mortem is required by law, the deceased person is transported to Navan, County Meath, for the autopsy; if it has been further brought to his attention that the cost of having the post mortem in Navan can be in the region of €800; the reason post mortem examinations required by the coroner are not available in Sligo Regional Hospital on many weekends; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20236/14]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The arrangements made for the carrying out of post-mortems are a matter for the relevant coroner. In this context the Deputy will appreciate that a coroner is a statutory officer exercising quasi-judicial functions in relation to which he or she is independent and neither I nor my Department has any role in the coronial process in particular cases. The costs associated with the provision of services for coroners are met by local authorities.