Coroner reform proposals fail to meet needs of bereaved families, says Legion
14 June 2011
Commenting on today's Statement to Parliament by Ken Clarke, Secretary of State for Justice, on Coroner Reform, Chris Simpkins, Director General of The Royal British Legion, said:
"This is a lost opportunity. These proposals are disappointing and fail to meet the needs of bereaved Armed Forces families. It's vital that this missing piece of the Armed Forces Covenant 'jigsaw' is put in place as soon as possible. We've heard many times that the reforms are unaffordable and yet new initiatives, with money attached, are announced almost daily. So it seems that the real explanation is that the necessary reforms are just not seen as a political priority.
"We have consistently made clear that a Chief Coroner is a matter of priority; it need not be bureaucratic or expensive, but it is essential to improving bereaved Armed Forces families' experience of military inquests.
"The Legion had already written to Ken Clarke before today's statement to make clear our opposition to his proposals. We told him that we will continue campaigning on this. We will now take soundings with parliamentarians over the next few days about our next steps.
"Ensuring there's a functioning Chief Coroner is the least we can do to honour the ultimate sacrifice made by our Armed Forces and to ease the pain those left behind will always feel."
For further information please contact:
Susan Cottam, Public Relations Officer, The Royal British
Legion
T: 020 3207 2477 M: 07775 017889 E: scottam@britishlegion.org.uk
