Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions a body was released more than seven days after the coroner's office was notified in (a) Birmingham and (b) Solihull in each of the last 12 months; and whether the coroner (i) collects information on someone's religion and (ii) takes into account the timeframe for religious beliefs and practices relating to death and dying.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Information is not held centrally on the release by coroners of the bodies of the deceased whose deaths are reported to them.
Coroners are judges and, as such, are independent in the decisions they make in conducting their investigations. They exercise their judicial discretion in accordance with the relevant statutory and regulatory framework.
The Chief Coroner has issued a suite of Guidance to assist coroners with the law and their legal duties, and to provide advice on policy and practice. His Guidance No.28 on Decision Making and Expedited Decisions is intended to be a practical guide to assist coroners in situations where a bereaved family has made a request to the coroner for urgent consideration of the death of a loved one and/or early release of their body; or where the coroner or coroner’s officers otherwise become aware of features of a particular death which may justify treating it as especially urgent.
Jan. 22 2009
Source Page: Table showing number of open verdicts returned by coroners for each year from 2002 to 2007, broken down by coroner district. 6 p.Found: Table showing number of open verdicts returned by coroners for each year from 2002 to 2007, broken down
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps his Department has taken to help tackle delays at Coroners’ Courts.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
It is important that the inquest process is as swift and efficient as possible to avoid additional distress for bereaved families at such a difficult time in their lives.
Whilst the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, this Department does not have operational responsibility for coroner services as they are a local service, funded and administered by individual local authorities. However, we are keen to understand the factors underlying the length of time for the completion of inquests, and to provide support where possible and appropriate.
To that end, we have introduced a raft of statutory measures to help streamline coroner processes, and intend to take forward further measures when Parliamentary time allows.
In addition, on 9 September 2024, the Government is implementing the statutory Medical Examiner scheme which, by providing a more robust framework for the scrutiny of cause of death, is expected to decrease the number of deaths which are unnecessarily referred to the coroner, thereby reducing pressure on coroner services.
I am also engaging with Ministerial colleagues to identify and implement an action plan to address the complex issues underlying the shortage of coronial pathology provision, which contributes significantly to inquest delays. As a first step, the Ministry of Justice is undertaking a review of the statutory fees for coronial pathology work.
I have recently discussed this and wider issues around inquest delay with the Justice Committee in the context of its follow up Inquiry into the Coroner Service and look forward to receiving its recommendations in due course.
Oral Evidence Mar. 19 2024
Inquiry: The Coroner Service: follow-upFound: Ministry of Justice, and Death Management, Miscarriages of Justice Compensation, Inquiries and Coroners
Oral Evidence Mar. 19 2024
Inquiry: The Coroner Service: follow-upFound: Ministry of Justice, and Death Management, Miscarriages of Justice Compensation, Inquiries and Coroners
Jan. 10 2011
Source Page: Table showing verdicts of suicide and open verdicts returned by coroners in England and Wales, 2000-2009.Found: Table showing verdicts of suicide and open verdicts returned by coroners in England and Wales, 2000-2009
Mentions:
1: Mike Freer (Con - Finchley and Golders Green) annual report to the Lord Chancellor on the operation of coroner services, under section 36 of the Coroners - Speech Link
Mar. 18 2009
Source Page: Letter dated 17/03/2009 from Bridget Prentice MP to Dominic Grieve MP regarding amendments to the Coroners and Justice Bill 2008-09. 5 p.Found: Letter dated 17/03/2009 from Bridget Prentice MP to Dominic Grieve MP regarding amendments to the Coroners
Mentions:
1: Maria Caulfield (Con - Lewes) This will help deter criminal activity, improve practice and ensure the right deaths are referred to coroners - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Mike Freer (Con - Finchley and Golders Green) annual reports to the Lord Chancellor on the operation of coroner services under section 36 of the Coroners - Speech Link