Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to require coroners to record an opinion as to gambling addiction and other relevant factors in cases of death by suicide.

Expecting coroners to assess the motivation for individual suicides in all cases would take the coroner’s role fundamentally beyond its legal parameters. The coroner’s role and, in particular, what they are required to ascertain and determine is a matter of both statute and case law and cannot be extended administratively. Any legislative change would have to be considered very carefully.