Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the expiry of temporary Covid-era provisions that allowed for more flexible and timely death registration on bereaved families.

No assessment has been made. Since the repeal of the Coronavirus Act easements, Death Certification Reform provisions came into force on 9 September 2024 which introduced more effective processes for death certification and registration, alongside a strengthened system of medical scrutiny for all deaths.

The Home Office is also committed to delivering the Civil Registration Service Transformation Programme which will provide the bereaved with greater flexibility and choice on how deaths are registered.