Niall Collins (Limerick, Fianna Fail)
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475. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality if she will provide, in tabular form, the coroners and assistant deputy coroners who are acting in each functional area; the annual remuneration paid to each, either by way of salary, fee or other arrangement in each of the years 2011 to 2014; the retirement date for each; the process of appointment to be followed for vacancies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23746/15]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The names of Coroners, their Deputies and the Districts they act in are published and available on the website www.coroners.ie.

Payments are made to Coroners by the Local Authority with responsibility for each District, in the main, on the basis of a basic retainer and a fee per item as follows:

Retainer

Grade 1-€21,744.00

Grade 2-€17,932.00

Grade 3-€12, 807.00

Fee per case

-Death reported€129.68

-Deaths certified following post mortem€188.54

-Death certified following post mortem and inquest€522.97

The figures for annual retainers incorporate staffing, accommodation and general office costs.

The breakdown of total remuneration for the years requested by the Deputy, in so far as they are readily available, are currently being compiled and verified by Departmental officials and will be forwarded to the Deputy when completed.

Section 32(7) of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2011 provides for the amalgamation of Coroners' Districts, where more than one exists in a Local Authority area, when a vacancy arises.

Where there is a single Coroner for a District the appointment of a new Coroner is provided for in the Coroners Act, 1962. The process of the appointment of Coroners is being looked at in the review of the 2007 Coroners Bill which is currently underway in my Department.

The 2007 Bill needs review in the light of:

-the changed public finances;

-the increased emphasis on delivering leaner, better integrated and more customer-focused public services; and

-developing Coroner practice and case law.

As finalising the review is dependent on competing legislative priorities I am not in a position to give a definitive indication on a time frame for this project at present.