Asked by: Baroness Sharples (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are delays of six months or more in holding inquests in London, and if so, why.
Answered by Lord Keen of Elie - Shadow Minister (Justice)
Coroners must by law complete an inquest within six months or as soon as practicable after the death has been reported to them. Inquests may take longer than six months due to the complexity of the case or other factors such as the need to wait for other investigations to finish.
Across the eight coroner jurisdictions in London 1,901 inquests were completed within 6 months and 1,747 inquests were completed in six months or more in 2015.