Parliamentary Search

Adjournment debate on Thursday, 8 March 2007, in the House of Commons, led by Lord Beith. The answering member was Baroness Harman.

Coroners’ System and Death Certification

Westminster Hall adjournment debate on the coroners' system and death certification.

Secondary information

Type
Parliamentary proceeding
Reference
457 c513-52WH 
Session
2006-07
Department
Department for Constitutional Affairs
Chamber / Committee
Westminster Hall
Related items
Proceeding contributions
Lord Bellingham | 457 c542WH (Link to this contribution) I agree. The hon. Gentleman has made many sensible points, and that is another. It underlines the ne...
Baroness Harman | 457 c542-4WH (Link to this contribution) We have had an extremely interesting and productive debate. I thank the right hon. Member for Berwic...
Show all contributions (59)
Lord Bellingham | 457 c540-2WH (Link to this contribution) We could delve into the hon. Gentleman’s argument at great length, but I shall not do so. The only p...
Simon Hughes | 457 c542WH (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman made a point about delay, citing a constituency case of another of our colleagues...
Simon Hughes | 457 c540WH (Link to this contribution) Is not the greatest weakness of the hon. Gentleman’s local funding argument the fact that the local ...
Lord Bellingham | 457 c540WH (Link to this contribution) The right hon. Gentleman makes an important point. It is one that was put to the Select Committee an...
Baroness Harman | 457 c548WH (Link to this contribution) That will be possible under the system that we envisage because the statutory boundaries that make e...
Lord Beamish | 457 c548WH (Link to this contribution) The Oxfordshire case highlights the problems relating to resources and has demonstrated the need for...
Baroness Harman | 457 c548WH (Link to this contribution) They would not have that authority. I will come on to resources in a moment, but the coroner concern...
Baroness Harman | 457 c544-5WH (Link to this contribution) I was going to speak later about resources, but as my hon. Friend has raised the subject I shall dea...
Lord Beith | 457 c545WH (Link to this contribution) The Minister poses an important question, and she admits that she does not know the answer. It will ...
Baroness Harman | 457 c545-8WH (Link to this contribution) I assure the House that I am not waiting for anything. I am getting on with addressing the issues, n...
Lord Bellingham | 457 c548WH (Link to this contribution) I am glad that the Minister has paid tribute to the members of the judiciary who have been helping o...
Simon Hughes | 457 c544WH (Link to this contribution) Is the Minister willing to argue that, when there might be criminal case or a public inquiry, the in...
Baroness Harman | 457 c544WH (Link to this contribution) That is something that a chief coroner could assist with. There will not be one blueprint for dealin...
Lord Beamish | 457 c544WH (Link to this contribution) I am intrigued by that statement. What happens if local resources are the problem—for example, if a ...
Lord Beith | 457 c552WH (Link to this contribution) I thank my colleagues on the Committee and other hon. Members for their contributions, including the...
Lord Beith | 457 c551WH (Link to this contribution) That is where cross-Government work is not working. The Minister relied heavily on her brief from th...
Baroness Harman | 457 c551-2WH (Link to this contribution) I hope that we combine the right degree of assertiveness and co-operation when working with colleagu...
Lord Whitehead | 457 c550WH (Link to this contribution) There is an enormous amount of warmth for the thrust of the measures that my right hon. and learned ...
Baroness Harman | 457 c550-1WH (Link to this contribution) I very much appreciate what my hon. Friend says. What he describes might well be the next step, but ...
Simon Hughes | 457 c548-9WH (Link to this contribution) Every bit of the logic of the last section of the Minister’s speech—much of which is welcome—suggest...
Baroness Harman | 457 c549-50WH (Link to this contribution) I have two observations to make on that. A system placed on a proper statutory footing, with a chart...
Lord Beamish | 457 c534WH (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Gentleman agree that what is proposed in clause 4 of the draft Bill is a mistake? It a...
Simon Hughes | 457 c534-6WH (Link to this contribution) The issues in cases that cross a national boundary are difficult. Just as with court judgments that ...
Lord Beamish | 457 c536WH (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Gentleman agree that a local complaints system is also needed? If families are not hap...
Simon Hughes | 457 c536WH (Link to this contribution) I absolutely agree with that point, which links well with my final point. Again, the right hon. and ...
Lord Bellingham | 457 c536-9WH (Link to this contribution) I start by declaring an interest. The very first case that I did at the Bar involved attending an in...
Simon Hughes | 457 c529-32WH (Link to this contribution) I am very happy to serve under your chairmanship, Mr. Weir. I begin with some general thanks, but t...
Lord Beith | 457 c533WH (Link to this contribution) A further point has been suggested to me by coroners: where future coroners will come from? If we ar...
Simon Hughes | 457 c533WH (Link to this contribution) Yes, that is a very good argument, and it supports the case. The likely outcome is one that includes...
Lord Beamish | 457 c533WH (Link to this contribution) Does the hon. Gentleman agree that it would help when dealing with peaks or major incidents—the hon....
Simon Hughes | 457 c533-4WH (Link to this contribution) I shall come back to big incidents such as the Marchioness, but I agree with the hon. Gentleman. We ...
Lord Beamish | 457 c539WH (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman says that it is okay to have a national chief coroner and a standard that we expe...
Lord Bellingham | 457 c539WH (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman makes a good point—he argued it very well in his speech—but if the service were b...
Lord Beith | 457 c539-40WH (Link to this contribution) Surely, at the very least, we must resolve the argument of who is paying. A situation in which chief...
Lord Beamish | 457 c528WH (Link to this contribution) Yes, although it is in the Greek courts. Christopher was born and bred in Chester-le-Street in my c...
Lord Watson of Wyre Forest | 457 c528WH (Link to this contribution) I was present at my hon. Friend’s first Adjournment debate, having also lost someone on Rhodes, nece...
Lord Beamish | 457 c528-9WH (Link to this contribution) I totally agree, but, alas, what is proposed will not achieve that. The attitude of the Durham coron...
Lord Beith | 457 c522WH (Link to this contribution) A colleague discovered that he had that responsibility when he found himself having to appoint a cor...
Nia Griffith | 457 c524-5WH (Link to this contribution) It gives me great pleasure to speak in the debate. I very much welcome the draft Bill and the draft ...
Lord Whitehead | 457 c522-4WH (Link to this contribution) A number of issues arise in that instance, and another important point to bear in mind is that becau...
Lord Watson of Wyre Forest | 457 c527WH (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes some important points. In the short time that I was a Defence Minister I was pe...
Lord Beamish | 457 c525-7WH (Link to this contribution) I congratulate the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Mr. Beith) not only on his speech, but ...
Speaker | 457 c528WH (Link to this contribution) Order. I remind the hon. Gentleman of the sub judice rule. Is this a case that has been completed?
Lord Beamish | 457 c527-8WH (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend speaks from direct experience of dealing with those families. If we are to ask men an...
Lord Beamish | 457 c522WH (Link to this contribution) Does my hon. Friend agree that most elected councillors would be surprised to hear that they are in ...
Lord Whitehead | 457 c522WH (Link to this contribution) I agree; that would be a great surprise. Most local authorities are unaware of what they provide, ex...
Lord Beamish | 457 c515WH (Link to this contribution) Does the right hon. Gentleman agree that the problem is not only lack of capacity locally? There is ...
Speaker | 457 c513WH (Link to this contribution) Before we begin the debate, I remind hon. Members that proceedings in coroners’ courts are covered b...
Lord Beith | 457 c513-5WH (Link to this contribution) It is a great pleasure to see you chairing the debate, Mr. Weir. You can enjoy listening to discussi...
Lord Beith | 457 c519-21WH (Link to this contribution) That is my view. I do not recall the Committee discussing the matter in such detail, although I reme...
Lord Whitehead | 457 c521-2WH (Link to this contribution) I, too, welcome the debate, and I concur with the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Mr. Beit...
Simon Hughes | 457 c516WH (Link to this contribution) Let me pursue the same issue for a moment. I tried to support victims’ families and survivors after ...
Lord Beith | 457 c516WH (Link to this contribution) In a sense, it is right that removing a coroner, as a judicial officer, should be difficult—as it is...
Simon Hughes | 457 c519WH (Link to this contribution) This question derives from the same issue. One of the most distressing aspects of the sinking of the...
Lord Beith | 457 c517-9WH (Link to this contribution) The hon. Gentleman vividly illustrates some of my points—namely, that the system is under severe str...
Lord Watson of Wyre Forest | 457 c517WH (Link to this contribution) I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for producing a fabulously comprehensive report. I am here...
Lord Beith | 457 c516-7WH (Link to this contribution) My hon. Friend makes an important point. The object of the Government’s reform ought to be to deal w...
Subjects
Coroners Reform Registration of births, deaths, marriages and civil partnerships
Link
View this Parliamentary proceeding on www.publications.parliament.uk