Comment: Reform of Coroner Service is needed

There has been some discussion in recent weeks around the waiting period for post mortem results, inquests, the issuing of death certificates and the impact this is having on grieving families.

It appears that Covid has resulted in a backlog in some centres with post mortem results taking up to six weeks and inquests outstanding for up to two years in some areas.

Meath has one dedicated coroner.

A glance at the numbers of post mortems and inquests completed in the county in recent years doesn't show any major change. There were 63 last year, 55 in 2022, 44 in 2021, 88 in 2020 during the height of Covid, 38 in 2019 and 42 in 2018.

It is up to the coroner in each local authority area if an inquest is required in the case of a sudden and unexplained death.

Cold, hard statistics but it's important to remember that behind these numbers are multiple family members and friends who are grieving. These are all sudden deaths, often in very tragic circumstances. They can involve young people who may have left behind a husband or wife and a young family. They cannot get a death certificate until the inquest has concluded. In turn, that holds up claims on policies such as mortgage protection, life insurance and various death in service benefits from pension schemes. It leaves people in a limbo. It leaves them stressed and struggling financially at a time they may be going through unimagineable grief.

Of course, a coroner can issue a temporary death certificate, and that can help to keep lenders at bay and perhaps freeze interest on mortgages or repayments. But navigating all of this red tape at perhaps one of the worst times of one's life is putting too much pressure on people.

The process needs to be sped up. As with most things, it comes down to resources - human and financial.

Coroners will always strive to hold the inquest as quickly as possible after the death. It should be acknowledged that delays are not all down to the coroner's office. The holding of certain inquests may await receipt of a final post-mortem report from a pathologist, or the outcome of an ongoing investigation by An Garda Síochána or other statutory bodies such as the HSE, GSOC, the Inspector of Prisons, or the Health and Safety Authority.

The Coroner could also be waiting on information from a family, their legal representatives, or other interested parties.

Last October, the Minister for Justice, Helen McEntee, launched a public consultation to inform the development of proposals for comprehensive reform of the Coroner Service in Ireland. That closed in January 2024 with some 250 submissions received.

In a Dáil debate in May, she revealed that Department officials are analysing the information with a view to bring forward proposals before the end of the year for the reform the Coroner Service.

Such reform is badly needed. The Law Society of Ireland has been pushing for such reform for some time. It believes that the Coroner Service in Ireland must be reformed to modernise the structure and efficiency of the service. Among other reforms, the society says the new structure of the Coroner Service should provide for a Chief Coroner with a national jurisdiction under the Department of Justice.

Those who have died cannot be replaced but families deserve peace of mind. They don't need to be wading through paperwork and procedure, all the while perhaps struggling financially and grieving their loved one.

It should be noted that the role of inquests is not to apportion blame or to explain why but rather simply to determine the cause of death. It is the Coroner's Court and they are held in public and may be reported by the press and media outlets. Not all are reported, typically just those that are in the public interest and as sensitively as possible.