I believe that when people are dealing with the most difficult and emotional moments in their lives, they deserve the best support and care possible.
When someone loses a loved one, their friends and family come together to help them and it is a time when the strength of communities really shows itself .
I am very concerned that, rather than helping people to deal with times of bereavement, coroner services have sometimes seemed insensitive and inflexible.
Since becoming the government minister responsible for coroner policy two months ago I have been made very aware that this is an issue that must be dealt with. I am committed to making sure coroners are providing the best possible services to everybody who comes into contact with them.
Good work has already been done. Reforms were introduced two years ago designed to put bereaved people at the heart of the system, and they are working well. These introduced the role of Chief Coroner to oversee the system, allowed less invasive post-mortems to take place and required inquests to be completed within six months. But there is still room for improvement.That is why I want to make sure we address concerns about out-of-hours and weekend services.
More needs to be done to reduce needless delays
I know how important it is to some faiths, including the Jewish community, that their loved ones are buried as soon as possible after death. Making sure coroner investigations are completed quickly is a key factor in whether that can happen, and as readers of the JC will be aware, that is not always the case.
More needs to be done to reduce needless delays when someone dies late at night or over a weekend or bank holiday.
I have announced that I will be reviewing this issue across England and Wales as part of a wider coroner review later in the year, and I am determined to improve the situation.
In the meantime we are continuing to work with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and the Metropolitan and City Police to develop a cross-London approach.
I want a coroners system which supports every faith and all of our communities, and I will not rest until we achieve it.
