Clause 23
Coroners and Justice Bill
7:00 pm
Alun Michael (Cardiff South and Penarth, Labour)
I wonder whether I can make an allied point, which is more of a clause stand part point, but might be helpful for the Minister to reply to at the same time. I am looking for clarity about who is responsible for providing the coroner service in future. Something like 90 per cent. of coroners officers are currently employed by police authorities rather than local authorities. It is intended that coroners officers will continue to be employed by either police or local authorities, with the transfer of the two subject to local agreement, as is now the case.
The problem is that, reading the Bill as it stands, the wording appears to make it clear that local authorities are compelled to provide the service, if the police do not, but I am not absolutely clear that police authorities are obligated to carry on providing the service, if they do so at the moment. My question is, if the Bill goes through in its present form, police authorities that currently employ coroner officers must continue to do so unless a transfer to local authorities is agreed mutually. If that is not absolutely clear, will the Minister look at it again and seek to make it explicit and clear on Report, so that there is no doubt?
The police can be wonderful, but they can also change their arrangements quite quickly without looking at the impact on other authorities, which we have seen on a number of occasions. The hon. Member for Cardiff, Central will be aware of discussions about changes to some arrangements in south Wales at the moment, which the police have announced without, as far as one can see, discussing the matter with anyone. That example does not involve coroners, but the point is the same. If there are to be changes in the current arrangements, they ought to involve adequate notice and agreement between the police authority and the local authority.
I ask the Minister to consider removing any ambiguity on Report to clarify the Government’s intentions now. The police service already has heavy involvement in the matter of death investigation, which is going to continue, whereas it is not really a part of the daily business of the local authority. I would be happy to accept a short speech from her saying, “My right hon. Friend is right. The police authority will not be able to opt out unilaterally from providing the coroner service.”