Abolition of Chief Coroner's Office is "betrayal" of bereaved Service families
14 October 2010
The announcement today that the Chief Coroner's Office and the role of the Chief Coroner are to be abolished as part of the Government's restructuring of quangos is a betrayal of bereaved Service families and threatens the Military Covenant, says The Royal British Legion.
The Chief Coroner's Office, created in 2009 with cross-party support in both Houses of Parliament, is to be abolished as a statutory body with certain functions to be transferred to the Lord Chancellor or the Lord Chief Justice.
"We are concerned that the families of our fallen heroes will no longer have confidence that the circumstances of their loved ones' deaths will be thoroughly investigated," said Chris Simpkins, Director General of The Royal British Legion.
The Legion believes the establishment of a Chief Coroner's Office was critical to improving the working of the inquest system in relation to military inquests and now fears other reforms to the inquest system are under threat, as the Chief Coroner's role was central to them.
These included oversight and monitoring of investigations into Service deaths; compulsory training for coroners carrying out military inquests; and new rights of appeal for families throughout the inquest process.
It is also unclear what functions are to be transferred to the Lord Chancellor or Lord Chief Justice, and what functions are to be abolished.
The Legion believes the Chief Coroner's Office meets the three tests outlined by Francis Maude, Cabinet Office Minister, to preserve a quango from abolition: does it perform a technical function; do its activities require political impartiality; and does it need to act independently to establish facts?
Chris Simpkins, Director General of The Royal British Legion, said: "We believe this decision would be a deep betrayal of bereaved Service families. It may be that Ministers have not appreciated the ramifications of such a decision on bereaved Armed Forces families. That's why we're writing to the Prime Minister about this and have already raised it with the Leader of the Opposition. We anxiously await a response that will satisfy us that the interests of Service families will be represented.
"The Legion is calling on the Prime Minister to intervene before charities meet with the Justice Minister on 25 October. The Legion campaigned long and hard as part of its campaign to honour the Military Covenant for reforms to the inquest process - to guarantee bereaved Service families a modern, thorough and transparent investigation. The Chief Coroner's Office and role are absolutely central to this."
Media contact:
Susan Cottam, Public Relations Officer, The Royal British
Legion
T: 020 3207 2477 M: 07775 017 889 E: scottam@britishlegion.org.uk
