The State's priority should be housing, health and education and not buying RIP.ie, Shane Coleman has said.
After the popular condolences website introduced a €100 fee for listings, there have been calls for the State to establish a free alternative.
In a statement yesterday, Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore said the State should consider setting up a "centralised service that is easy to use and free of charge for users".
On?Newstalk Breakfast, presenter Shane Coleman said the State should not get involved with RIP.ie
"This is like the 1970s re-visited when we owned hairdressing salons and we owned hotels," he said.
"Why would the State buy it? I don’t get that logic.
"The State should concentrate on things like housing, health and education, not on buying websites."
D079GF A funeral leader is respectfully carrying his hatShane said State involvement would also "increase the cost of the service".
"People have been paying in newspapers for death notices for years and never thought anything of it," he said.
"€100 works out as less than 2% of the cost of the average funeral - it's a small amount of money."
"There seems to be an attitude among politicians at the moment that people shouldn't be allowed to pay for anything anymore."
Funeral costs
Co-presenter Ciara Kelly said a €100 fee is a "drop in the bucket" when compared to other funeral costs.
"Funeral costs €6,000 to €7,000 – this is like saying I’m going to spend €25,000 on my wedding and I’m going to fight tooth and nail not to give the priest €200."
Ciara also said people have alternative ways of sharing funeral arrangements.
"We live in an era where you can put the arrangements up for free on your own social media and that’s how most people find out what’s going on in people’s lives," she said.
"Before RIP.ie existed people still found out about deaths and we have social media now - if you wanted you can put it up on Facebook every single person would know about funeral."
RIP.ie introduced a €100 fee for funeral directors on January 1st.
Feature image: Shane Coleman (L) and a cross with lilies (R)
