Ceist:
165 Dr. Upton asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will improve procedures in relation to the registration of deaths at hospitals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17359/00]
Written Answers. - Registration of Deaths.
The administration of the registration system is a matter for An t-Árd Chláraitheoir – the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages – and for local registrars who operate under his general direction.
The particulars to be recorded in the register of deaths are set out in the Births and Deaths Acts, 1863 to 1996, and in regulations made under those Acts. The Acts provide that all deaths occurring in Ireland should be registered, in the registrar's district in which it occurred, as soon as possible. The person registering the death – the qualified informant – must produce to the registrar a medical certificate of cause of death signed by a registered medical practitioner who treated the deceased within 28 days before the death. The qualified informant signs the entry in the register of deaths. The list of qualified informants includes relatives of the deceased and the occupier of the hospital or institution in which the death took place. Once a death has been registered a certificate of the entry in the register of deaths may be obtained directly from the registrar at the time of registration.
If the deceased was not seen by a doctor within 28 days or if s/he died as a result of an accident or in violent or mysterious circumstances the death must be referred to the coroner, in which case the death will be registered on foot of a certificate issued by the coroner to the registrar containing all the details to be registered. The arrangements for a post-mortem examination and possibly for an inquest can cause some delay in the registration of a death.
However, if the Deputy is aware of a problem in relation to the registration of a particular death, perhaps she would communicate the details so that the matter can be investigated.