Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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86. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the status of the recruitment process of county coroners and for deputy county coroners (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8779/16]

Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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The legislation governing Coroners is the Coroners Act, 1962, as amended. Section 8 of the Act provides that there shall be a Coroner for every Coroner's district who shall be appointed by the Local Authority in whose area the district is situated. The recruitment process is therefore a matter for each County's Local Authority. However, Section 32 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2011 provides for the amalgamation of Coronial districts within a Local Authority area by the Minister for Justice and Equality in consultation with the Local Authority concerned. In respect of the districts of Kerry North, Kerry West and Kerry South East these three districts stand to be amalgamated when the Coroner for Kerry South East retires.

Section 13(1) of the Act provides that each coroner shall appoint a Deputy Coroner. A Coroner may, if he or she so wishes, appoint a sitting Coroner in another district to deputise for him or her. I understand for instance that the Coroner for Kerry North-Kerry West and the Coroner for Kerry South East currently deputise for one another. Upon the amalgamation of the Kerry districts it will be a matter for the sitting Coroner to appoint a Deputy having obtained the prior approval of the Minister for Justice and Equality.