Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
87. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Justice if he is aware if autopsies are taking longer to be concluded in Dublin or elsewhere in recent years; and if so, what are the causes of what can be heart-wrenching delays for families of the deceased. [18015/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, a Coroner is an independent quasi-judicial office holder whose core function is to investigate sudden and unexplained deaths so that a death certificate can be issued. This is an important public service to the living and in particular to the next-of-kin and friends of the deceased. Coroners not only provide closure for those bereaved, but also perform a wider public service by identifying matters of public health and safety concerns.
The Dublin District Mortuary (DDM) is the responsibility of the Dublin Senior Coroner, who is an independent statutory officer. Neither I, nor my Department have any role in the coronial function. However, my Department is responsible for supporting the work of the Dublin District Coroner’s Office, including the DDM in terms of finance, staffing, administration, etc., since 1 January 2018. Three additional Temporary Coroners have been re-appointed to facilitate the significant workload of the Dublin district.
Outside of the Dublin area, such matters are the responsibility of the relevant local authority and the district coroner concerned.
Waiting times for post-mortems are influenced, by a number of factors, including the following:
• Coroner directed post mortems can be time consuming, with the subsequent work involved in writing up the reports and possible attendance at Inquests. This in conjunction with the demands on hospital pathologists to provide diagnostic pathology services has led to a number of hospitals taking the decision to withdraw the provision of pathology services in Dublin for Coroner post mortem examinations (PMEs). This has put an increased pressure on the DDM in respect of body storage and post mortems.
• It is increasingly challenging to secure the services of histopathologists to carry out Coroner directed Post Mortems. In response to this challenge, my Department has established a Standing Committee on the Provision of Coroner Directed Post-Mortems.
• DDM is staffed by a team of professional, committed and dedicated Anatomical Pathology Technicians (APT). To ensure that the DDM is adequately resourced, officials in my Department have secured the services of two locums, and are in the process of sourcing another. In an attempt to address the challenges in recruiting APT's, a trainee programme was launched in 2021 with two trainees appointed. My officials are currently seeking to appoint new trainee APT's to generate a pipeline of staff into the future.
• Officials are also currently engaged in a process or recruiting this year a full-time mortuary manager.
I acknowledge that timeframes for the release of remains to families can vary and is dependent, amongst other factors, on the number of deceased persons who are cared for at the mortuary at any given time; this is largely unpredictable and can peak on occasion. It is certainly my intention and that of my Department to ensure that waiting times for post-mortems are kept to a minimum.
