Agencies that deal with suicide might be better able to help potential victims if inquests on suicides were held in private and the findings were made public, the Coroners' Association of Ireland has said.
Public inquests were sometimes a "serious deterrent" to getting all the details that might be heard if the inquest was in private, said Dublin County Coroner and spokesman for the association, Dr Bartley Sheehan.
Under current legislation the inquests must be held in public. Dr Sheehan said that having only the findings made public might provide information that could "influence public policy to help those who may be at risk from taking their own lives. There may be more information available to understand why people take their own lives", he said. Dr Sheehan said private inquests might also help agencies which worked with suicide to be a "more useful source of information for people deciding whether or not to take their own lives".
The coroners' association is making submissions to the Government - as part of a review of the Coroners Act 1962 currently under way by various Government departments - asking that inquests on suicides be held in private, with certain safeguards.
These inquests were a "very distressing time for people touched by suicidal deaths" and during the course of the inquest "sensitive family issues" came into the public domain. There should not be the "exhibition of private and personal matters" being displayed in a public court - it "lacks sensitivity", said Dr Sheehan.
He gave the example of the inquiry into the suicide of musician Michael Hutchence in Australia.
"That inquest was held in private, but was undertaken very thoroughly. The coroner had the power to interview witnesses and check facts. He was not working in the public domain." Only the findings were made public.
Democratic Left's spokeswoman on Health, Ms Liz McManus TD, has criticised one aspect of holding inquests in public. "Inquests on suicide victims are often being held in the presence of other families awaiting inquests on other victims. In one case, six families were present in the coroner's court which greatly added to the anguish and stress of all concerned," said Ms McManus.