Clause 3
11:30 am
Bridget Prentice (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Ministry of Justice; Lewisham East, Labour)
First, let me give some examples of when or why the chief coroner may direct that an inquest be held in a different area. One will be to deal with localised backlogs. I was a bit worried about what the hon. Member for Cardiff, Central was saying. I hope that she is not trying to give the impression that backlogs are springing up all over the country, because I do not believe that that is the case. However, backlogs and unexpected demand can occur—the hon. Member for North-West Norfolk gave the example of a multiple shooting. That might create a backlog and could be a case where a chief coroner directs that investigations be held in another area.
Another example is when the inquests took place into the deaths in the London bombings. They were taken by one coroner, which means that the coroner’s other work may have to be sent elsewhere. The main reason for that is to make sure that backlogs do not occur and that bereaved families get prompt investigations. A further example is where several deaths occur but the families live in different areas. In this case, the chief coroner may decide to allocate the inquest to a particular place that is most convenient for the families involved.