A new Coroners and Justice Bill (the Bill) is set to go to reporting stage in the House of Lords on October 21.
The Bill, which was first introduced to the House of Commons in January, aims to deliver a more effective, transparent and responsive justice system for victims, witnesses and the public.
The introduction follows a number of public consultations throughout 2008 and will extend mainly to England & Wales.
In relation to coroners, the Bill seeks to introduce a national coroner service for England and Wales, headed by a new Chief Coroner. It hopes to improve the experience of those bereaved people coming into contact with the coroner system, giving them rights of appeal against coroners’ decisions and setting out the general standards of service they can expect to receive.
By establishing improved powers and guidance for coroners and publicising statistics and reports to prevent deaths, the changes should reduce delays and improve the quality and outcomes of investigations and inquests. Senior coroners will also have powers to commission post-mortems where appropriate.
For deaths not investigated by the coroner, a system of secondary certification will be introduced, which will enable independent scrutiny and confirmation of the medical cause of death in a way that is “proportionate, consistent and transparent.”
In addition to the provisions to reform the coroner system, the Bill seeks to amend elements of the law in relation to the criminal offences of murder, infanticide and assisted suicide. It also sets down new rules for the protection of witnesses and in relation to the security of court, and it contains various amendments in the areas of legal aid, sentencing, criminal memoirs and the Data Protection Act 1998.
To see the Bill as introduced and as amended go to:
services.parliament.uk/bills/2008-09/coronersandjustice.html
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