Call for Evidence

The Committee invites evidence on:

• What progress has been made towards the goal of placing bereaved families at the heart of the Coroner Service.

• What progress has been made by the Government in implementing those of the Committee’s earlier recommendations which it accepted in September 2021.

• What progress has been made by the Government in responding to those of the Committee’s recommendations which it was unable to address in September 2021.

• Given that the Government has rejected the Committee’s recommendation to unite local coroner services into a single service, what more can be done to reduce regional variation and ensure that a consistent service operates across England and Wales.

• Whether more can be done to make best use of the Coroner Service’s role in learning lessons and preventing future deaths. In particular (a) are Coroners across England and Wales making consistent use of their power to issue PFD reports? And (b) could the way PFD reports are being used to help prevent future deaths be improved?

• How Coroners respond to the requirements of faith burials and funerary practices, especially in relation to early release of bodies and provision of non-invasive autopsies. Could more be done to ensure a consistent and satisfactory approach across England and Wales?

• Whether there is evidence that inquests are taking too long to be completed, and if so why, and what can be done in response.

• Whether the Coroners’ Service has recovered from the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, and what lessons can be drawn from it.

• Whether there are any other changes to the way the Coroner Service operates that could be made to improve its effectiveness.