Clause 35
Coroners and Justice Bill
9:00 pm
Henry Bellingham (Shadow Minister, Justice; North West Norfolk, Conservative)
Clause 35 abolishes the office of coroner of the Queen’s household. The current holder of that office is Michael Burgess, who is also HM coroner for Surrey. We discussed earlier the great historic nature of the traditional post of coroner. The post of coroner to the King or Queen’s household is also an ancient one and I have worked out that it dates back to William I. It would be a great pity if it were abolished without good reason. Was this measure recommended in the June 2003 Luce report? What sort of discussions have take place between the Ministry of Justice and the Palace, at the time of that report and subsequently? I am well aware that there have been issues more recently, particularly relating to the summoning of a suitable jury in the inquest of the late Diana Princess of Wales. That obviously posed challenges. I suppose it could be argued that the exclusive nature of the office is difficult to integrate with the new national framework that is being put in place, and I understand why the Government may be keen to look at how the office has been held by different coroners throughout the country in the past. At the moment, it is held by the Surrey coroner, who will become the senior coroner for that area.
I am suggesting that, instead of getting rid of the post completely, it might be more sensible to retain it, because from time to time important and sensitive matters will have to be dealt with concerning the Queen’s or King’s household. It is important not to abolish the office, but to transfer it to the chief coroner. Under our amendment, the chief coroner would also be the Coroner of the Queen’s Household, which makes a great deal of sense.