Asked by: Lord Vaizey of Didcot (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to consult specialist bereavement organisations on Government policy to support bereaved families in seeking legal aid.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
As part of its review of legal aid for inquests, over the summer my Department carried out a call for evidence exercise, conducted surveys of key stakeholders, and officials met bereaved people as well as groups which represent their interests.
The Department is now considering the responses and other feedback. Any significant changes to policy will be presented in a public consultation as part of the final report, in which anyone interested in this issue including members of the public and specialist bereavement organisations will be invited to respond to this consultation exercise. We intend to publish the final report by the end of the year.