The Department of Justice is seeking expressions of interest from members of the public interested in serving on an advisory committee on the coronial system.

The committee will support a public consultation process on the reform of the Coroner Service that is due to start later this year.

The consultation will seek people’s views on a number of aspects of the coronial service – including the structure of the service, and key ancillary services, such as pathology and client/user engagement.

‘Innovative change’

The process will feed into a programme of reform that the department says will “address identified issues” and “drive innovative change” across the Coroner Service.

Members of the advisory committee will include representatives from the Department of Justice, the Coroners Society of Ireland, the Department of Health, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Health Service Executive, an Garda Síochána, the Office of the State Pathologist, the Royal College of Physicians (Faculty of Pathology), and an independent expert.

The department is now seeking expressions of interest from members of the public who have had experience of the coronial service, and would like to sit on the committee.

Advice

The group will meet four times during the consultation process, with the first meeting taking place in-person in early September.

People who are interested can email csitmail@justice.ie. The closing date is Friday 1 September (5pm). The department says that late applications will not be considered.

The role of the committee will be to:

• Provide views and advice in relation to the consultation process, and
• Provide advice on draft reform proposals following receipt of submissions to the consultation.