Kerry County Council spent almost €1.8 million on providing for the coroner service in this county over a four-year period.
The figures, covering 2020 to 2023, were provided to Kerry Fianna Fáil TD Michael Cahill, who has long-campaigned for the Department of Justice to pay for this service.
Just four other local authorities paid more than Kerry on the operation of morgues and coroner’s expenses over the four-year period.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has said a bill will be brought to government on reviewing the service, including how it’s funded.
The coroner service has been paid for by local authorities since 1846, except for Dublin, where the service is funded by the Department of Justice.
In 2020, the coroner service and operation of the morgue cost Kerry County Council over €370,000.
This rose to €427,000 in 2021, and rose again to over half a million euro in 2022.
In 2023, the council spent €457,000 on providing this service; this is the latest year for which there is audited financial data on the coroner service.
This is a total of almost €1.8 million in the space of four years.
Just four local authorities paid more in providing the coroner service in that time – Cork City, Cork County, Galway County, and Limerick City and County.
Up to the end of last year, Kerry was served by two coroners, but the districts have been amalgamated and the county now has one coroner.
Kerry Fianna Fáil TD Michael Cahill says these costs are a significant burden on Kerry County Council, and they should be paid by the Department of Justice.
Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan has said that a bill will be brought to government in late 2025 to significantly reform the coroner service.
This will include how the service is funded, enhancing support for bereaved families throughout the death investigation process, and ensuring families do not experience unnecessary delays.
Deputy Michael Cahill says he has campaigned on this for a long time, and now believes progress is being made.
