A Bill designed to reform substantially the role of coroners was published yesterday by Minister for Justice Michael McDowell.
The Coroners Bill 2007 establishes a new Coroner Service and widens the scope of an inquest to establish the circumstances in which a person died, rather than the current practice of investigating the proximate medical cause of death.
Under the 1962 Coroners Act, inquests are restricted to an examination of "how" a person died, but the new Bill will allow a coroner to examine the wider circumstances surrounding a death.
Mr McDowell said the new Coroner Service would provide an enhanced service to families of deceased persons and to society by explaining deaths and drawing attention to possible public safety and health issues.
He believes the Bill can fulfil obligations placed on the State by the European Court of Human Rights, which ruled that legal aid must be provided in cases where there is involvement of the State in the circumstances of a death.
"The Bill allows for the granting of legal advice and legal aid in proceedings before a coroner where a person has died in, or resulting from being in, State custody or in certain institutional care situations," he said.
This legal aid scheme will be operated by the Legal Aid Board.
Mr McDowell also announced that a Coroner Service Implementation Office will be formed to facilitate its transition from a part-time service administered by individual coroners, in conjunction with local authorities, into a co-ordinated, national service.