Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to implement the recommendations they outlined in The Coroner Service: Government Response to the Committee’s First Report, published on 10 September 2021 (HC 675).

The Government continues to work with stakeholders to make inquests more sensitive to the needs of bereaved families, who remain at the heart of the coroner service.

We are therefore committed to implementing the six Justice Committee recommendations which we accepted in our response to its First Report on the Coroner Service. To this end, we have already included in the Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 a suite of measures aimed at streamlining processes in the coroner’s courts and supporting the Chief Coroner’s post-pandemic recovery plans. A further provision makes it easier for coroner areas to merge, as recommended by the Justice Committee.

Following the recommendation that we should improve access to the Guide to Coroner Services for Bereaved People, we are assessing how best to ensure availability in light of user needs.

We are also considering ten further recommendations made to Government, as outlined in our response, and will take forward any appropriate action as soon as practicable.