Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Tom Luce, among others, has identified the Ministry of Justice decision not to publish its...
Recommendation
Tom Luce, among others, has identified the Ministry of Justice decision not to publish its 2015 review of the operation of the 2009 Act as a serious breach of a commitment to do so. No good reason has been given for the non-publication of that review. The present Minister’s argument that it is now out of date is not sufficient reason for continuing to withhold it. At the very least, publication would allow that contention to be tested, and no harm can be done if the report’s conclusions truly are obsolete. We recommend that the MoJ immediately publish its 2015 review of the effectiveness of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. (Paragraph 37) Putting bereaved people at the heart of the Coroner Service Reducing delays so the body can be released
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
We do not accept this recommendation. We take the view that the analysis carried out at the time is now some six years old and there would be very limited value, or wider public interest, in publishing it now – it would merely be a historic snapshot when the coroner world has moved on immeasurably. In 2015 the coroner reforms introduced in July 2013 had only started to bed in. There are also concerns regarding the disproportionate resources that we would require to bring the report to a publishable standard. As with all Government Social Research, there are strict quality assurance processes to ensure that the quality of research which is published. This is to avoid misleading or incorrect evidence being put into public domain.