Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he has had recent discussions with representatives of local authorities in north London on agreeing a new jury venue to help clear the backlog in jury inquests.

The Chief Coroner is engaging with the local coroner service and Camden Council, as lead local authority for the Inner North London coroner area, on the issue of accommodation for jury inquests.

More generally, the Chief Coroner continues to monitor carefully the national position on inquest backlogs, and has issued guidance to coroners on developing Covid-19 recovery plans. He is currently undertaking a tour of all coroner areas in England and Wales to better understand local needs.

The Government recognises that pandemic pressures have affected the ability to hold jury and other large and complex inquests. We have provided £6.15 billion in grant funding to local authorities in England to support the cost of pandemic pressures, which could include additional costs incurred in the administration of coroner services. Additional funding has also been allocated to the Devolved Administrations under the Barnett Formula.