Face the Facts - Delayed Inquests

The grieving families waiting years for answers over the deaths of their loved ones because of delays in the inquest system. Some coroners are facing a backlog of cases, hold-ups with official inquiries, and difficulties in finding inquest venues. John Waite discovers the patchy service offered to relatives, and hears how things could get even worse. Major reform of the coroners' service is supposed to speed up delays, but implementation of a new law is under review as part of the Coalition Government cuts. Campaigners are warning that the changes may never happen. The appointment of a Chief Coroner to oversee a national service has already been postponed. Face the Facts has obtained performance figures for every coroner across England and Wales. They show that the average time for an inquest to be completed is six months. But in some areas, such as Bridgend, Exeter and Portsmouth, it can take up to a year. Yet in Liverpool, the average time is just 10 weeks. And we have spoken to some families who are waiting much longer. Luke Bitmead, a writer from Wiltshire, died almost four years ago after jumping from a car park in Swindon. Yet his inquest still has not been completed, leaving his family with unanswered questions The charity Inquest told us that delays in the system meant that for many people, the grieving process simply stopped. It could also prevent lessons from being learned from the death. In November last year, the Royal Assent was given for the Coroners and Justice Act 2009. But in May, shortly after coming to power, the new Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke ordered a review into the "scope and timing" of the implementation of the new law.