Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoner death inquests were heard on the Isle of Wight in (1) 2023, and (2) 2024; and how many prisoner death inquests on the Isle of Wight are outstanding for those years.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
No inquests were concluded in 2023 and 2024 relating to prison deaths in the Isle of Wight coroner area. There were 13 such deaths in 2023 and 6 in 2024.
The data is unpublished management information derived from administrative systems and has not been subject to the same quality checks as Official Statistics which are published by the Ministry of Justice.
My response to the Noble Lady’s Question HL7660 set out the steps which the Isle of Wight Council is taking, together with the Senior Coroner and the Chief Coroner, to address the issue of inquest backlogs. As I also confirmed in that response, the Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible, and which puts the bereaved families at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems and will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to reduce the average time from death to inquest on the Isle of Wight.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
There has been significant pressure on accommodation for inquest hearings and in terms of staffing in the Isle of Wight coroner area. To address this, the refurbishment of a court is now nearing completion; and the Isle of Wight Council is currently recruiting for two additional Assistant Coroners. I anticipate that, once in place, these measures will help address the issue of inquest backlog. The Chief Coroner is also engaging directly with the Senior Coroner and local authority on this issue.
The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible, and which puts the bereaved families at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems and will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 1 April (HL6113), how many of the 158 inquests completed on the Isle of Wight in 2023 (1) were heard by jury, (2) were court inquests, and (3) were held as an 'inquest in writing' under section 9C of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
The following information for the Isle of Wight coroner area is either included in, or can be extrapolated from, the Coroner Statistics 2023 which are available at: Coroners statistics 2023 - GOV.UK.
In 2023:
No inquests were heard with a jury.
81 inquests involved a public court hearing.
77 inquests were conducted in writing under the provisions of section 9C of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009.
The Coroner Statistics for 2024 will be published on 08 May 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 1 April (HL6113), what is the longest outstanding inquest in the Isle of Wight.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible and which puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems.
However, while the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, operational responsibility for coroner services lies with individual local authorities (known as “relevant authorities”) which are responsible for funding, administration and coroner appointments for each of the 77 coroner areas in England and Wales. For the Isle of Wight coroner area, the relevant authority is the Isle of Wight Council.
For this reason, the Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the longest running inquest in the Isle of Wight coroner area. More generally, however, the Coroner Statistics for 2023 (the most recent year for which data is available) indicate that 46 inquests had been open for more than two years in the area at 31 December 2023. The Statistics are available at Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. Statistics for 2024 will be published on 8 May 2025.
I understand there has been significant pressure on accommodation for inquest hearings, and in terms of staffing and coroner resources, in the Isle of Wight coroner area. To address this, the refurbishment of a court is now nearing completion; and the Isle of Wight Council is currently recruiting for two additional Assistant Coroners. It is anticipated that, once in place, these measures will help address the issue of inquest backlog.
We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services across England and Wales.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 1 April (HL6113), what steps they are taking to support families of the deceased during the wait for an inquest.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible and which puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems.
However, while the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, operational responsibility for coroner services lies with individual local authorities (known as “relevant authorities”) which are responsible for funding, administration and coroner appointments for each of the 77 coroner areas in England and Wales. For the Isle of Wight coroner area, the relevant authority is the Isle of Wight Council.
For this reason, the Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the longest running inquest in the Isle of Wight coroner area. More generally, however, the Coroner Statistics for 2023 (the most recent year for which data is available) indicate that 46 inquests had been open for more than two years in the area at 31 December 2023. The Statistics are available at Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. Statistics for 2024 will be published on 8 May 2025.
I understand there has been significant pressure on accommodation for inquest hearings, and in terms of staffing and coroner resources, in the Isle of Wight coroner area. To address this, the refurbishment of a court is now nearing completion; and the Isle of Wight Council is currently recruiting for two additional Assistant Coroners. It is anticipated that, once in place, these measures will help address the issue of inquest backlog.
We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services across England and Wales.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 1 April (HL6113), what plans they have to appoint deputy coroners to help to process incomplete inquests in the Isle of Wight.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible and which puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems.
However, while the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, operational responsibility for coroner services lies with individual local authorities (known as “relevant authorities”) which are responsible for funding, administration and coroner appointments for each of the 77 coroner areas in England and Wales. For the Isle of Wight coroner area, the relevant authority is the Isle of Wight Council.
For this reason, the Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the longest running inquest in the Isle of Wight coroner area. More generally, however, the Coroner Statistics for 2023 (the most recent year for which data is available) indicate that 46 inquests had been open for more than two years in the area at 31 December 2023. The Statistics are available at Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. Statistics for 2024 will be published on 8 May 2025.
I understand there has been significant pressure on accommodation for inquest hearings, and in terms of staffing and coroner resources, in the Isle of Wight coroner area. To address this, the refurbishment of a court is now nearing completion; and the Isle of Wight Council is currently recruiting for two additional Assistant Coroners. It is anticipated that, once in place, these measures will help address the issue of inquest backlog.
We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services across England and Wales.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede on 1 April (HL6113), what assessment they have made of why the average time to complete coroner inquests in the Isle of Wight is more than double the average time across all of England and Wales.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is as swift as possible and which puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems.
However, while the Ministry of Justice is responsible for coroner law and policy, operational responsibility for coroner services lies with individual local authorities (known as “relevant authorities”) which are responsible for funding, administration and coroner appointments for each of the 77 coroner areas in England and Wales. For the Isle of Wight coroner area, the relevant authority is the Isle of Wight Council.
For this reason, the Ministry of Justice does not hold information on the longest running inquest in the Isle of Wight coroner area. More generally, however, the Coroner Statistics for 2023 (the most recent year for which data is available) indicate that 46 inquests had been open for more than two years in the area at 31 December 2023. The Statistics are available at Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. Statistics for 2024 will be published on 8 May 2025.
I understand there has been significant pressure on accommodation for inquest hearings, and in terms of staffing and coroner resources, in the Isle of Wight coroner area. To address this, the refurbishment of a court is now nearing completion; and the Isle of Wight Council is currently recruiting for two additional Assistant Coroners. It is anticipated that, once in place, these measures will help address the issue of inquest backlog.
We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services across England and Wales.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many inquests are yet to be concluded in (1) each coroner area in England and Wales on average and (2) the Isle of Wight specifically.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
In 2023 (the most recent year for which data is available), the average time to complete an inquest across all coroner areas in England and Wales was estimated to be 31.5 weeks. In the Isle of Wight coroner area, it was 66.8 weeks.
At 31 December 2023, the average of number of incomplete inquests across all coroner areas in England and Wales was 242. In the Isle of Wight coroner area, 311 inquests were incomplete on 31 December 2023.
In the Isle of Wight coroner area, 105 inquests were completed in 2022; and 158 were completed in 2023.
Coroners statistics for 2024 will be published on 8 May 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many inquests have been heard in the Isle of Wight in each year from 2022 to 2024.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
In 2023 (the most recent year for which data is available), the average time to complete an inquest across all coroner areas in England and Wales was estimated to be 31.5 weeks. In the Isle of Wight coroner area, it was 66.8 weeks.
At 31 December 2023, the average of number of incomplete inquests across all coroner areas in England and Wales was 242. In the Isle of Wight coroner area, 311 inquests were incomplete on 31 December 2023.
In the Isle of Wight coroner area, 105 inquests were completed in 2022; and 158 were completed in 2023.
Coroners statistics for 2024 will be published on 8 May 2025.
Asked by: Baroness Hodgson of Abinger (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average time from death to inquest in (1) England and Wales and (2) the Isle of Wight.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede
In 2023 (the most recent year for which data is available), the average time to complete an inquest across all coroner areas in England and Wales was estimated to be 31.5 weeks. In the Isle of Wight coroner area, it was 66.8 weeks.
At 31 December 2023, the average of number of incomplete inquests across all coroner areas in England and Wales was 242. In the Isle of Wight coroner area, 311 inquests were incomplete on 31 December 2023.
In the Isle of Wight coroner area, 105 inquests were completed in 2022; and 158 were completed in 2023.
Coroners statistics for 2024 will be published on 8 May 2025.