Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire
Question:160. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Justice the average waiting time for an inquest at each coroner’s office. [45286/21]
View answerWednesday, 22 September 2021
Questions (160)
Written answers
As the Deputy will be aware, Coroners are independent in the conduct of their functions and neither I nor my Department have any role in the scheduling of inquests by a coroner.
Coroners are continuing to work to schedule inquests in a safe manner. Most coroners hold inquests in local court houses, and as a result of Covid-19, given public health considerations, inquests have unfortunately been severely curtailed.
The Courts Service works closely with coroners across the country to facilitate inquests and continue to do so while ensuring adherence to public health guidelines.
I also understand that some coroners are holding what are referred to as ‘documentary inquests’ or remote inquests, which require very small numbers of attendees, and take place with the agreement of families. Larger inquests, requiring multiple witnesses, are being rescheduled to a later date.
In order to support the work of the Coroner, the Civil Law and Criminal Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2020 provided, among other items, for the appointment of temporary coroners to act simultaneously with a coroner in exceptional circumstances, such as were presented by the Covid 19 pandemic.
Dublin is the busiest coronial district and specifically in regard to the situation in the Dublin coronial district, a second coroner and two new deputy coroners were appointed in February 2020.
Additional information is available on the website www.coroners.ie or on the Dublin Coroners website www.dublincoronerscourt.ie which may be of assistance.