Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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360. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of full-time staff by job title working in the Office of the State Pathologist; the number of vacancies by job title in this office; when each of these vacancies will be filled, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43795/23]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Office of the State Pathologist provides the State with a national forensic pathology service and a forensic pathologist is on duty, twenty-four hours a day, each day of the year.

There are currently no vacancies in the Office of the State Pathologist.

The Chief State Pathologist, Dr. Linda Mulligan, was appointed following a competitive process in early 2021. Two new State Pathologists also joined the to the team in 2021 and following the successful completion of a Deputy State Pathologist competition, two Deputy State Pathologists were appointed in 2022.

These appointments along with the office staff who support the pathologists in their work and the new Shared Facilities Manager ensure the Office has capacity to carry out its vital functions.

The additional resources also support the State Pathologists in their important role in assisting families on the loss of their loved ones by helping to answer their questions, as well as playing a vital role developing autopsy practice in Ireland.

The Information requested by the Deputy is set out in the table below.