Coroner condemns inquest delays

A CORONER was forced to send four families away from an inquest without details of their loved ones’' deaths because of delays of over six months in getting test results from the State Laboratory.

Coroner for County Kildare, Professor Denis Cusack, condemned the situation which he said was repeated around the country and put bereaved families through additional grief.

He pointed out that the Government had promised to address the problem three years ago but instead it was only getting worse. He said 5,000 of the 8,000 deaths in Ireland each year were referred for post mortem examination, leaving at least 20,000 close family members facing potential delays and added distress.