Robert Key (Salisbury, Conservative)

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make provision for extra staff to be assigned to the office of HM Coroner for Wiltshire to process the outstanding inquests into the deaths of service personnel overseas.

Bridget Prentice (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Ministry of Justice; Lewisham East, Labour)

Operational matters such as the provision of staff and other resources are matters for local agreement between coroners and their local authorities. However, an exceptional burden has been created in the Wiltshire and Swindon coroner's district by the repatriation to RAF Lyneham since 1 April 2007 of service personnel who have, sadly, lost their lives in the military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In recognition of this, central funding is being provided by the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Defence. In 2007-08 £126,000 was provided centrally, and in 2008-09 a further £190,000 was provided. Estimated spend by the two Departments in the current financial year is £200,000. A recent request from Wiltshire county council for additional funding this year is currently being considered.