John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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759. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality his proposals to continue the south east coronial post-mortem service at WUH from January 2026; the number of times his Department has met with the HSE to resolve the issues that have arisen; if recruitment of the appropriate professionals is underway; if contingency plans have been drawn up to prevent any disruption of the service; if the coroners involved have been consulted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61537/25]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Coroners are independent office holders, and the Department has no role in directing their work during the death investigation function. Neither does the Department have any role in relation to the work of pathologists, who undertake postmortem examinations (PME) on the direction of a coroner.

Policy and operational responsibilities for the provision of postmortem examination services to support the work of the Coroner Service is supported by multiple departments and agencies. My Department is responsible for the legislation underpinning the work of coroners, while the provision of the postmortem examination service is largely provided through the health service and its personnel. It is important to clarify that pathologists, other than forensic pathologists in the Office of the State Pathologist, are not contracted to either my Department, or to coroners.

Where a coroner deems a postmortem examination to be required, the coroner concerned will arrange the post-mortem examination to be conducted as expeditiously as possible to ensure timely release of remains to the next of kin of the deceased. Depending on the circumstances of the death, a post-mortem examination will be carried out by a pathologist or, in forensic cases, by the Office of the State Pathologist.

My Department is aware that securing the provision of the postmortem service for the coronial death investigation function is challenging for several reasons, including issues relating to the training and recruitment of pathologists, as well as competing demands on pathologists in areas of diagnostic and research work. With this in mind, my Department in April 2022 established a ‘Standing Committee on the Provision of Coroner Directed PMEs’, membership of which consists of representatives from the department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, the Department of Health, the Health Service Executive, the Office of the State Pathologist, An Garda Síochána, the Coroners Society of Ireland, the Department of Housing, Local Authorities and Heritage and the Faculty of Pathology, Royal College of Physicians Ireland.

While this committee is an important forum, with appropriate membership to discuss issues in relation to the autopsy service, I am conscious that the situation in University Hospital Waterford, and other hospitals, has reached a critical juncture and an urgent solution is required. In this regard, a collaborative approach between my Department, the Department of Health, the HSE, UHW and its pathologists is clearly required.

There has been detailed engagement at a senior level between my Department and colleagues in the Department of Health, the HSE, and UHW, with a view to finding a solution to the situation in UHW in advance of the 1 January deadline. This work is continuing on an urgent basis.

It is also worth noting that in October 2024, Government approval was given to draft a general scheme of a Bill to significantly reform the Coroner Service, to increase efficiencies and minimise the impact of the death investigation process on bereaved people.