76. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will provide an update on the urgent discussions referenced in his written reply of 22 October 2025 regarding the planned discontinuation of coronial post mortems at University Hospital Waterford from 1 January 2026; the interim arrangements that have now been agreed for counties Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, Tipperary and Carlow; and the way in which his Department intends to ensure that bereaved families in the south east are not subjected to further delays or distress as a result of these changes. [68836/25]

Sentiment score: 0.11

We are little more than 40 days from a cliff edge that the Minister has just described as a "critical juncture". From 1 January post mortems will no longer be carried out at UHW, a service that carries out 700 cases every year, which are often the most tragic and traumatic of deaths. Behind every one of these cases is a family in shock waiting for answers and waiting simply to lay a loved one to rest yet today, with the deadline fast approaching, there is no clarity on who will perform these examinations, where they will take place,or how families in counties Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, Carlow and Tipperary will be protected from delays that could last days or weeks. How will the Minister ensure that bereaved families in the south east are not plunged into a crisis of delays, distress and indignity from 1 January? Families deserve certainty, they deserve compassion and a plan, and they deserve it now.

Sentiment score: -0.01

This is not an abstract policy issue; this is a human one. There are 700 cases every year. Every day that a family waits for a post mortem is a day they cannot hold a funeral, cannot begin the grieving process and cannot find closure. That is the reality that awaits hundreds of families across the south east if this service collapses on 1 January. Coroners, funeral directors and front-line responders still have no guidance. Families deserve reassurance that they will not be left waiting in deep distress for a service that is their right. I again ask the Minister, respectfully but firmly, to commit to guaranteeing that no family across the south east will face avoidable delays or uncertainty on the most difficult days of their lives. The people we represent in the south east deserve nothing less.

Sentiment score: -0.14