Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 31 May 2017
106. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality her views on the retirement age of coroners (details supplied) and the time persons have to wait for an inquest; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26211/17]
View answerThe retirement age for coroners is set down in section 11 of the Coroners Act 1962 as seventy years of age. This provision was repeated in the Coroners Bill 2007. I have no plans to change the age of retirement.
I can inform the Deputy that the timeframe between the death of a person and the holding of any necessary inquest is dependent on a number of factors, including the receipt by the Coroner of the results of the post-mortem, the receipt by the Coroner of results of any tests carried out as part of the post-mortem process and the question of whether or not a criminal prosecution is being considered. In these circumstances it is not possible to give an average timeframe.
The Deputy will appreciate that Coroners exercise quasi-judicial functions, in respect of which they are independent and it would, therefore, be improper for me to comment on the exercise of these functions.
