Coroners’ courts face significant backlog

Coroners' courts face significant backlog

Helen McEntee

Grieving families have been left waiting for death certificates as coroners’ courts face a significant backlog due to the pandemic, the Irish Examiner reports.

The Coroners Society of Ireland agreed that inquests were to be paused in January to abide by public health restrictions, Justice Minister Helen McEntee said in a response to Sinn Féin TD Martin Kenny, who raised the issue in a parliamentary question.

Mr Kenny asked what the implications of the delay would be for probate and other matters too.

Ms McEntee said: “My department is aware that the delay in holding inquests is causing distress for families, and officials from my department are liaising with the Courts Service on this matter.

She added: “The Courts Service works closely with coroners across the country to facilitate inquests and will do so once again when restrictions ease.”

She also said some coroners are holding what are called ‘documentary inquests’ or remote inquests, which only require that a small number attend.

“Larger inquests, requiring multiple witnesses, are being rescheduled to a later date,” Ms McEntee added.

The minister also referred to the Government’s Covid-19 plan, which requires each department to develop a plan to mitigate backlogs.

“This will build on the new ways of working that have already been brought into place, and will include consideration of the issues in relation to coroners, as appropriate,” Ms McEntee said.

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