Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 September 2022
1389. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Justice when the inquest into the death of a person (details supplied) who died whilst in the custody of Wheatfield Prison in 2019 will be heard; the reason for the delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42570/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware all deaths in custody are subject to internal review by the Prison Service, a Garda investigation and an inquest conducted by the Coroner.
In addition, at the request of the Minister for Justice, all deaths in custody are subject to an independent investigation by the Inspector of Prisons. In the interest of transparency, finalised reports of such investigations and any associated Prison Service Action Plan to address recommendations are published in an anonymised form.
I understand that the Office of the Inspector of Prisons has been in contact directly with the Deputy in this regard and I can further advise the Deputy that, in keeping with its standard practice, the Office has made arrangements to meet the family to let them know the outcome of the investigation, and to make them aware of plans for the anonymised publication of the report, which will take place in the very near future.
Insofar as the inquest is concerned, and as I am sure the Deputy is aware, Coroners are independent, quasi-judicial office holders whose core function is to investigate sudden and unexplained deaths so that a death certificate can be issued. The exercise of these statutory powers by a Coroner during an inquest is entirely a matter for the relevant Coroner. Neither I nor my Department have any role in directing the work of coroners or in individual death investigation cases.
However, to be of assistance, my officials have contacted the Dublin District Coroner’s Office and were advised that the inquest file in this instance is at an advanced stage. The Inspector of Prisons report will be available to the Coroner upon its publication.
