THE vast majority of deaths in county Fermanagh that have been referred to the Coroner’s Office in recent years have not proceeded to an inquest, figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act have revealed.

The statistics, released by the Northern Ireland Courts and Tribunals Service after a Freedom of Information request by the Impartial Reporter, show that of the 572 deaths in county Fermanagh that were reported to the Coroner’s Office between 2012 and 2015, only 23 inquests have been held.

A total of 13 deaths between 2013 and 2015 remain “under investigation”.

The remaining 536 cases in county Fermanagh were closed without an inquest being held.

Police are expected to report to the Coroner when a dead body is found, when a death is unexpected or unexplained, or when a death occurs in suspicious circumstances.

Initially, the Coroner will gather information to investigate whether the death was due to natural causes and if a doctor can certify the medical cause of death.

If a doctor cannot certify the medical cause of death then the Coroner will investigate the death and may order a postmortem examination to be carried out.

The postmortem is a key stage in the Coroner’s investigation, as its findings identify the medical cause of death and often determine whether any further action on the part of the Coroner is required.

If the postmortem shows that the death was not from natural causes, then the Coroner may decide to hold an inquest.

The purpose of an inquest, which is held in public, is to find out who the deceased person was and, how, when and where they died, and to establish the details needed to register the death.

The holding of an inquest is at the discretion of the Coroner, but the views of the deceased’s family can be made known to the Coroner and are taken into consideration before any decision is made.

The statistics released to this newspaper show that, in recent years, only a very small number of the deaths in county Fermanagh that were reported to the Coroner’s Office proceeded to an inquest – and the numbers appear to be getting smaller.

In 2012, a total of 140 deaths in Fermanagh were referred to the Coroner’s Office, with 11 inquests being held.

Out of the 137 local deaths referred to the Coroner’s Office in 2013, four inquests have been held so far. A total of 130 cases were closed without an inquest, while a further three remain under investigation.

The pattern continues in the figures released for 2014 and 2015.

In 2014, a total of 145 deaths in Fermanagh were reported, with 137 of these cases closed without an inquest. Two deaths remain under investigation, while six inquests have been held so far.

Last year, 150 deaths locally were referred to the Coroner’s Office. As it stands, 140 of these cases have been closed without an inquest hearing.

Of the 10 remaining deaths, inquests have been held into two -- one per cent of the total -- while a further eight are still being investigated.

A spokeswoman for the Coroner’s Office said that the figures for Fermanagh were reflected across the rest of the province.

Further statistics released by the Coroner’s Office reveal that, from the start of 2012 to the end of 2015, a total of 503 inquests were heard in Northern Ireland, an average of around 126 a year.

“The majority of deaths referred to the Coroner’s Office are closed without an inquest. This is generally because on further investigation, the coroner considers - taking account of the families’ wishes - that an inquest is not required in order to determine how, when and why the deceased died,” the spokeswoman added.