Coroners

The Ministry of Justice is responsible for matters relating to coroners.

A coroner is an independent judicial officer presiding over a Court of Record within the English Judicial system and discharges his duties in accordance with the Coroners Act 1988, the Coroners Rules 1984, and other relevant legislation.

Haringey is the lead authority for the London North Coroners’ Jurisdiction, which covers a population of 1.3 million people living in Barnet, Brent, Enfield, Haringey and Harrow. Although appointed and paid for by local councils, he is not a local government officer but holds office under the Crown.

A coroner's duties are:

• to investigate the circumstances of the deaths of all persons whose bodies are lying within his jurisdiction where he has reason to believe that the death was violent, unnatural or of unknown cause;
• to decide whether a post mortem examination is necessary for the purpose of his investigation and, if so, to give directions to an appropriate medical practitioner;
• to hold an inquest, with or without a jury, where he is satisfied that he is required to do so in accordance with section 8 of the 1988 Act;
• to notify the Registrar of Deaths of the findings of the inquest, or, if no inquest is held, of the fact that the death reported to him does not need to be subject to an inquest;
• to pay the relevant fees and allowances to witnesses and jurors, and to submit accounts to the relevant council;
• to make annual returns to the Secretary of State in connection with the inquests held and deaths he has enquired into;
• to appoint a deputy coroner, and, if required, an assistant deputy coroner.
• To assist in arrangements for exhuming dead bodies. In such cases:
  • a licence must be obtained from the Home Office. Exhumation licences will also contain certain conditions that have to be observed.
  • an Environmental Health Officer must be present at the exhumation and supervises the event to ensure that respect for the deceased person is maintained and that public health is protected

For more information, please visit the Coroners' page on the DCA website (see external links below).

Useful External Links

The following links are not part of the Haringey Council website. Please read our legal disclaimer before using these links

• Ministry of Justice website - Coroners

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