‘Wholly unfair’ Cork city coroner service not funded by Government

It is “wholly unfair” that Cork City Council pays €1m a year to fund the Cork city coroner’s office while the Dublin coroner’s office is funded centrally by the Government, a councillor has said.

Jim O’Callaghan, the justice minister, confirmed that financial responsibility for the Coroner Service has rested with local authorities since the introduction of the modern system.

However, responsibility for the Dublin District Coroner’s office was transferred from Dublin City Council to the Department of Justice in 2018, Mr O’Callaghan told Social Democrat TD Pádraig Rice.

Legislative change is required for the funding of the Coroner Service to be removed from the responsibility of local authorities, but the Government has been working since 2024 on new legislation for a national coronial service, centrally funded.

Department officials are drafting the heads of bill to bring them before government in the coming months.

Social Democrats councillor for the city's south central ward, Niamh O’Connor, said: “It is wholly unfair that Cork City Council has to discharge the substantial sums associated with the coroner’s office, while Dublin City Council has had this service funded centrally since 2018. 

“There is no good reason why ratepayers and service users in Cork should carry a cost that the State has already accepted responsibility for in the capital.

“If responsibility for the Dublin District Coroner could be transferred without the need for legislation, why can’t the same be done for Cork city?”

Ms O’Connor added: “The coroner service is demand-led by its nature, which makes it very difficult to budget for.

“At a time when Cork City Council is being forced to raise prices for services, including off-street parking and civic-amenity sites, it is an outrage that we are also forced to fund a service that I think everyone would agree should be financed by central government.”

Ms O’Connor welcomed the progress on the new legislation, but said this “is not the same as certainty”, and that Mr O’Callaghan’s reply gives no indication when the new system will be in place.

She asked for interim funding: “We all know how long it takes to legislate for anything in this country.

“In the meantime, Cork City Council continues to discharge in excess of €1m annually to fund the coroner’s office, while Dublin city has it paid for centrally,” Ms O’Connor said.