Short versions of death certs ‘won’t hide’ difficult realities

Government officials have insisted plans to allow a "short-form" death certificate to be given to families whose loved one has died in difficult circumstances will not hide the reality of suicide and drug deaths from wider society.

Reacting to concerns raised by one coroner over the draft rules, which are expected to be in place within weeks, a spokesman for Tánaiste Joan Burton said the sole intention of the move was to make life easier for grieving relatives.

The spokesman said that while the short-form death certificate option is not intended to include the exact details of how a person passed away, this will have no impact on the Register of Deaths in Ireland.