It’s a great relief to hear that Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, has decided against proceeding with legislation that could have resulted in some coroners’ inquests taking place behind closed doors.
Given the lack of cross party support, Jack Straw had no choice but to drop the move to push forward legislation contained in the Coroners and Justice Bill currently going through parliament.
We were also relieved to hear that Island MP, Andrew Mr Turner, welcomed the news.
As readers may already know, Mr Turner is a member of the parliamentary Justice Committee and we understand, has fought against the controversial change in the law since it was first proposed earlier this year.
“I am very pleased the Government has decided to stop pushing this idea. A coroners’ inquest is meant to shed light on an event. This could not happen if they were to be held in secret.
“Of course, there are some cases which are more sensitive than others, but I do not believe that sidelining jurors is the answer. Inquests often provide important closure to families after the death of a loved one. A secret inquest would preclude this.
“Without necessary transparency, there is no accountability, and this would undermine the public’s trust in the process. I am very pleased Mr Straw has recognised this and done the right thing.”
There is a fear that some inquests could be replaced with public inquiries, during which some details are allowed to be kept secret if they contain sensitive information, but we’ll be keeping an eye on this subject very closely.
We have more information relating to Coroners to share with you in due course.
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