16 June 2006
The coroner's system in England and Wales is to be overhauled in a bid to make it more sympathetic to the concerns of bereaved families.
Under changes proposed on June 12, relatives of the deceased will be able to ask the coroner for a second opinion on a death certificate as well as challenging a coroner's decision by appealing to a new chief coroner.
The draft Bill will see the service transformed from one staffed by 111 part-time coroners to one served by 65 full-time professionals, backed by established national standards and leadership.
The coroner's system has been largely unreformed since 1887 and bereaved families have criticised proceedings as impersonal and intimidating.
Publishing the Bill, constitutional affairs minister Harriet Harman said: 'There are many coroners and coroner's officers dedicated to their work, but the system in which they work must be improved. This new law will ensure that the public interest is served by proper inquiries into deaths and that the bereaved get the answers they need.'
André Rebello, coroner for the City of Liverpool, said investment and reform were long overdue. 'Our jurisdictions are local judicial services relying on the infrastructure and resources available from the local authority,' he said.
'There has been little national guidance and support and it is not surprising that there is a perception of a postcode lottery as to resources available to coroners… This Bill has been long awaited and now that it has arrived the work starts.'
The Bill is also the first to be published in plain English, as well as traditional parliamentary language, in order to make the legislation more accessible to the public. Families with recent experience of the coroner's service will participate in pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill.
Harman said: 'The constitutional innovation of having a Bill the public can read and understand will mean that the public will be able to join in the debate.
'The public scrutiny by recently bereaved families is also part of that process – it's about getting the legislation right and not being afraid to change it if necessary.'
PFjun2006
