3rd Special Report - The Coroner Service: Government Response to the Committee’s First Report

This is the government's response, published 10 September 2021.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The Government accepts some of the Committee's recommendations, commits to further work on others, and does not accept others, including a single national coroner service.

• It accepts the recommendation to make it easier to merge coroner areas, which it says is "currently in progress" in the Judicial Review and Courts Bill.
• It does not accept the recommendation to create a single national coroner service, as it does not think this "would necessarily address the issues facing the coronial system or be the best solution".
• On legal aid for inquests, it will take forward legislation to remove the means test for Exceptional Case Funding applications for legal representation, and will consider wider legal aid in its response to Bishop James Jones' report.
• On a Coroner Service Inspectorate, it "could be merit" in the idea but "cannot accept the recommendation at this stage", citing affordability and other ministerial priorities.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error