In large, complex inquests, such as that following the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, bereaved people should have an automatic right to public funding for legal representation, the MPs said, because the public authorities in those inquests were legally represented at public expense. They also called for the creation of a national coronial service for England and Wales, for an inspectorate for that service to ensure consistent standards, and for a charter of rights for bereaved people.
The recommendations are included in the committee’s report, ‘The Coroner Service in England and Wales’, published this week. During evidence, it heard about coroners arriving late, speaking in a brusque manner and being dismissive of the bereaved family’s concerns.
Sir Bob Neill, chair of the committee, said the creation of ‘a properly funded, empathetic and efficient National Coroner Service’ was ‘vital’.
Jonathan Landau, barrister at 5 Essex Court, said: 'Funding family representation at inquests where public authorities are represented will seem fair to many practitioners in the field.
'It has been suggested that representation is not required because of the inquisitorial nature of the inquest. However, if that were the case, public authorities would not incur the costs of doing so.
'The call for such funding to be available on a non-means tested basis, however, is probably unrealistic given that it is a feature of other schemes of legal aid.'
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