asked the Minister for Health if he will introduce legislation to ensure that burials cannot be carried out without the permission of the Registrar of Births, Marriages and Deaths.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Death Certificates.
52.
I think that the Deputy is interested in having deaths medically certified and registered before burials take place and in this connection I would refer him to the remarks I made in this House on Thursday, 5th July, arising out of my reply to Question No. 72 on that date.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary be able to give me the gist of what he said on the 5th July.
My reply on 5th July was as follows:
The incidence of uncertified deaths is falling steadily and in 1970 represented 1.5 per cent of all deaths registered. It is hoped that this progress will be maintained. An associated problem is the failure to register deaths. A reorganisation of local registration services which is in course of implementation will include the appointments of a full-time superintendent registrar for each health board area. The duties of these officers will include liaison with clergy, undertakers and any other persons associated with burials. This development should, it is hoped, go a long way towards the elimination of unregistered and uncertified deaths. If the results are not entirely satisfactory, a further review of the matter will be undertaken.
Consideration was given to the possibility of requiring death certificates to be issued before burials could take place. Such a measure would need the most elaborate administrative arrangements which would be justified only if the steps which I have outlined prove to be ineffective.
Would the Parliamentary Secretary not agree that at the present time a person could literally be murdered in Ireland and there would be nothing more about it other than local gossip in relation to the incriminated person?
Mr. Barry
The Deputy will appreciate that the steps taken should eliminate that possibility.
The steps taken have not yet done so. People could be murdered and the whole thing would be hush hush and not a word about it. This is happening at the present time in Ireland.
The steps we propose to take will eliminate that possibility.
Not the way the Parliamentary Secretary outlined them to me.
I should like to draw to the Parliamentary Secretary's attention a recent survey in the West of Ireland which indicated that the figures at least in the west of Ireland would be somewhat higher than those he indicated. In that area 7.5 per cent of the deaths were not medically certified or registered. Does the Parliamentary Secretary not agree that the Minister has power under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1972, to make undertakers notify registrars of deaths in their area? This might be effective as an interim measure until something more definite can be done.
I agree with the Deputy and I can assure him and the House that this matter is being carefully considered by the Minister for Health and by myself.