Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to enact section 4 of the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Work to publish the response to the 2019 consultation on coronial investigations of stillbirths was paused during the pandemic, and since then the landscape of maternity investigations has changed significantly.
The findings of the consultation were complex, and it is imperative that they are carefully considered when deciding whether the coronial jurisdiction should be extended to include the investigation of stillbirths.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government plans to publish its response to its consultation entitled Coronial investigations of stillbirths, which closed on 18 June 2019.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
We remain fully committed to responding to the coronial investigations of stillbirths consultation and setting out the Government’s position. Earlier this month, we published the factual summary of responses to the consultation.
The Department is working closely with the Ministry of Justice to give full consideration to next steps in this area and how Government will respond. We will update the House in due course.
We are clear that we must get this right, given the emotional impact that losing a baby has on families and others involved.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2022 to Question 150276 on Coroners: Perinatal Mortality, when her Department plans to publish their response to the Consultation on Coronial Investigations of Stillbirths.
Answered by Caroline Johnson
The Government’s response to the consultation on coronial investigations of stillbirths has been delayed. We are working to publish the response to the consultation as soon as possible.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the independent maternity review chaired by Donna Ockenden, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the jurisdiction of Coroners in England and Wales to give them permission to hold full inquests into stillbirths.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The Government is committed to reviewing each of the recommendations in the Ockenden Report and will respond appropriately in due course.
The Ministry of Justice and the Department of Health and Social Care have jointly consulted on proposals to provide coroners with new powers to investigate stillbirths. The consultation can be found at Consultation on Coronial Investigations of Stillbirths (justice.gov.uk). The Government’s response to the consultation has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are working to publish it as soon as possible.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the findings of the consultation on amending the Coroners Act 2009 to permit coroners to investigate stillbirths as specified in the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration Etc) Act 2019.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The Government’s response to the consultation on coronial investigations of stillbirths has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are working to publish the response as soon as possible.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will ask coroners to prioritise post-mortems and the holding of inquests for babies that have died.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Whilst mindful of how tragic and disturbing the loss of a child is, coroners are independent judicial office holders and therefore it would be inappropriate for Ministers to advise them on how they should make their judicial decisions.
The Chief Coroner, who provides leadership, guidance and support to coroners, has issued Guidance No. 28 to coroners on decision making and expedited decisions.
Asked by: Lilian Greenwood (Labour - Nottingham South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish his Department's response to the consultation on coronial investigations of stillbirths.
Answered by Nadine Dorries
Work on analysing the responses to the consultation on coronial investigations of stillbirths has been delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, we plan to publish the response to the consultation as soon as possible.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made regarding the consultation on coronial investigations of stillbirths since it closed on 18 June 2019.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Work on analysing the responses to the consultation has been delayed during the COVID-19 pandemic but we hope to publish the response to the consultation as soon as possible.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to publish his response to the consultation on Coronial investigations of stillbirths, which closed on 18 June 2019; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Further consideration of the responses to the consultation on Coronial investigations of stillbirths has been delayed during the Covid-19 pandemic, but we hope to publish the response to the consultation as soon as possible.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what progress he has made on enabling coroners to investigate stillbirths; and when he plans to publish the outcome of the public consultation entitled, Consultation on coronial investigations of stillbirths, that closed in June 2019.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Lord Chancellor advised in the House of Commons on 9 June that the Government is working to publish our report later this summer. I will be happy to meet you with my colleague at the Department of Health and Social Care to update you on progress with this work.