Overview

This bill mandates that coroners in England and Wales, when ruling a death a suicide, must record their opinion on the contributing factors. This information will be anonymized, published annually by the Office for National Statistics, and inadmissible in court.

Description

The Coroners (Determination of Suicide) Bill amends the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 and the Coroners (Inquests) Rules 2013. It requires coroners to record an opinion on the relevant factors contributing to a suicide, following an inquest. This opinion must adhere to guidance issued by the Secretary of State, which includes the option to state "no discernible factor". The guidance will cover factors to consider and the recording format. The Office for National Statistics will publish anonymized data annually, starting one year after the bill's enactment. Crucially, these recorded opinions are not admissible as evidence in court proceedings.

Government Spending

The bill doesn't directly specify any new government spending figures. The costs associated with implementing the new requirements (guidance development, data publication by the ONS) are likely to be absorbed within existing departmental budgets but aren't explicitly detailed.

Groups Affected

• Coroners: Required to record additional information during inquest proceedings.
• Office for National Statistics (ONS): Responsible for the annual publication of anonymized data.
• Researchers: May benefit from access to the anonymized data for suicide prevention research.
• Families of suicide victims: May find the recorded opinions helpful or unhelpful depending on individual circumstances; note that identifying information will be redacted.
• The Judiciary: The recorded opinions will be inadmissible in court.

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