Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) stillbirths and (b) perinatal deaths were referred to HM Coroner services in England and Wales in each year since 2010.

The Ministry of Justice does not collect data on the types of cases referred to coroners. However, it does collect data on the conclusions recorded at inquests.

Coroners cannot by law investigate cases in which a child has not lived independently of its mother. They can open an investigation if there is any doubt over whether the child has lived independently, once they have received a report of a death. They can also investigate perinatal deaths which occur in the six days following birth. The Chief Coroner, HHJ Peter Thornton QC, is considering actions to improve consistency and good practice in relation to neonatal deaths.

The table below sets out the number of inquest conclusions which were recorded as stillbirths. This information is also published at www.gov.uk/government/collections/coroners-and-burials-statistics.