---

Coroners and Justice Bill

At this hour, I do not want to detain the Committee for long. However, I want to ask a question so that we may think harder about the matter between now and Report. When the Minister introduced the amendment he spoke of circumstances in which an inquest ““cannot”” be held. Who makes the judgment on that ““cannot””? On whose say-so is it that there cannot be an inquest? Is it the same person who orders the inquiry and sets the remit? One of the big difficulties is that somebody is deciding that there cannot be an inquest, and pretty much the same person—I presume it is the Home Secretary, who may say that the inquest cannot be held for reasons of national security—will be setting the remit. That does not seem very satisfactory.