A Sinn Féin TD has called for a “discussion” about how bereavement leave is allocated because of increasing delays in the holding of funerals in Ireland.
Louise O’Reilly, who represents Dublin’s Fingal West constituency, spoke about her own personal situation and the death of her mother to highlight the difficulties faced by some families.
“Culturally in this country there’s a short time between the death and the cremation or burial,” and there is a particular impact of these delays, she said. People may not have any annual leave left and could be obliged to return to work immediately afterwards.
Minister of State for Justice Niall Collins acknowledged the difficulty. He said pathologists’ contracts do not include an obligation to carry out postmortems and they operate on a “grace-and-favour” basis, in some cases putting “undue pressure on the system”.
RM Block
A solution cannot be found “without significant input and engagement from the HSE”, but the Department of Justice will “assist in improving the delivery of this service which is of critical importance to bereaved families”, he said.
Ms O’Reilly had noted the decision by Waterford Hospital to end coroner-requested postmortems and the global shortage of pathologists to carry out autopsies.
She pointed to the Civil and Public Service, which has the “best entitlements”.
Bereavement leave for the loss of a mother or father is five days. “I had that experience recently. My mam died. She died on a Wednesday. She was not cremated until the following Wednesday which, to just put it in bald terms, would have put anyone with only five days in a situation whereby they have to go back to work.”
Ms O’Reilly said: “I physically wouldn’t have been able, but if I didn’t have the leave I’d have had to have gone. I am very, very lucky, but there are an awful lot of people who are not.”
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TDs are not subject to close scrutiny of their leave due to the nature of their work. Ms O’Reilly had assistants in her office and colleagues in the Oireachtas who ensured the work was done, she said.
“If you’re lucky – and lucky is the word – you get five days. This is not a plea for additional leave days because I don’t think that’s the solution.”
Raising the issue in the Dáil last week, Ms O’Reilly said she wanted “to spark a discussion”.
Mr Collins sympathised with her and acknowledged “significant concern” about the provision of postmortem examination services nationally.
“Several hospitals in Dublin no longer provide an autopsy service to support the work of the Coroner Service,” he said. “This is causing undue pressure on the system,” and delays in postmortems.
He said late last year University Hospital Waterford informed the department it would withdraw its autopsy service from January 1st, 2026.
There are nine sanctioned positions at the hospital but only six have been filled and three consultants will not conduct autopsies. This means “only three consultants are available” to conduct about 700 autopsies a year.
Ms O’Reilly pointed out that sometimes a State case causes uncertainty because it could “push back the release of your loved one’s remains, and that’s going to have a knock-on effect”. She said “people are in limbo”.
The Minister said the department is committed to “the modernisation of the Coroner Service in Ireland” and will draft a Bill “to significantly reform the Coroner Service, to increase efficiencies and minimise the impact of the death investigation process on bereaved people and their families”.
It will establish an independent office of the chief coroner and will reform the approach to autopsies “to ensure that families across Ireland have equal access to pathology services and do not experience unnecessary delays”.
