James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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693. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the reason for the delay in conducting an inquest regarding a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [45066/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Coroners are statutory officers exercising quasi-judicial functions, in relation to which they are completely independent. Neither I nor my Department have any function in this regard. However, to be of assistance, officials from my Department contacted the relevant Coroner’s office. It is understood that the death referred to occurred on 30 September 2018 in Tallaght Hospital, and that the Coroner directed that a Post Mortem examination be conducted. The result of the Post Mortem examination was received on 23 November 2018, on foot of which the Coroner decided to hold an inquest.

In the Dublin District, the average interval between date of death and the holding of an inquest is 20 months due to volume of work. The holding of this inquest might have been expected to have occurred mid-2020. However, complex inquests requiring clinical witnesses to attend court, as in this case, have been significantly delayed due to COVID-19 related public safety restrictions.

I understand that the Dublin Coroner’s office has been in communication with the bereaved family in relation to this matter, most recently on 15 December 2020.