The government has launched a review of the coroner system, including how it treats the needs of faith groups.
Justice Minister Caroline Dinenage said the wide-ranging review would “find out whether coroner services are responsive to faith group needs, particularly those who require less invasive post-mortem examinations and timely funerals such as Jewish and Muslim communities”.
The impact of major reforms made in 2013, included appointing the first national Chief Coroner, would be examined.
Ms Dinenage said the government wanted to hear from users of the service, including bereaved families.
The consultation will run for eight weeks.
The Jewish and Muslim communities welcomed the review when it was announced in earlier this year.
Leaders had met Justice Secretary Michael Gove to discuss concerns over delays in releasing bodies.
The two communities had clashed with senior coroner for Inner North London, Mary Hassell, over the scrapping of weekends and out-of-hours services, which meant burials were delayed.
In July, a High Court judge backed the religious right of Jews and Muslims to ask for a post-mortem to be carried out by scan rather than cutting up open the body.
The case was brought by the family of an Orthodox Jewish woman who resisted an order by Ms Hassell for an invasive autopsy to determine the cause of her death last year.
