The Coroners and Justice Bill aims to deliver more effective, transparent and responsive justice and coroner services for victims, witnesses, bereaved families and the wider public.
The Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 14 January. It includes measures to:
- reform and clarify the law on homicide, in particular to the partial defences
- update the language of the offence of assisting suicide
- establish a new Sentencing Council for England and Wales, with a strengthened remit to promote consistency in sentencing practice
- create a new national coroner service, led by a new chief coroner
- create a new system of secondary certification of deaths that are not referred to the coroner, covering burials and cremations
- enable the courts to pass an indeterminate sentence for public protection for certain terrorist offences
- prevent criminals from profiting from publications about their crimes
- amend the Data Protection Act to strengthen the Information Commissioner's inspection powers and improve the sharing of information
- re-enact the provisions of the emergency Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Act 2008 so that the courts may continue to grant anonymity to vulnerable or intimidated witnesses where this is consistent with a defendant's right to a fair trial
- allow the courts to grant Investigative Witness Anonymity Orders in certain gun and knife crime cases
- extend the use of special measures in criminal proceedings, such as live video links and screens around the witness box, so vulnerable and intimidated witnesses give their best evidence.
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Coroners and Justice Bill
- Coroners and Justice Bill: overarching impact assessment [PDF 0.14mb, 15 pages]
- Impact assessment: coroners [PDF 0.17mb, 26 pages]
- Impact assessment: death certification [PDF 0.17mb, 24 pages]
- Impact assessment: homicide [PDF 0.14mb, 21 pages]
- Impact assessment: establishment of the sentencing council [PDF 0.04mb, 6 pages]
- Impact assessment: investigation anonymity orders [PDF 0.20mb, 17 pages]
- Impact assessment: criminal legal aid [PDF 0.09mb, 14 pages]
- Impact assessment: criminal memoirs [PDF 0.06mb, 9 pages]
- Impact assessment: enhancing the inspection powers of the Information Commissioner [PDF 0.10mb, 14 pages]
- Memorandum by the Ministry of Justice to the House of Lords Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee [PDF 0.15mb, 37 pages]
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Draft Coroners Bill
Contact us:
Coroners and Justice Bill Team
Ministry of Justice
102 Petty France
London
SW1H 9AJ
email 
or telephone 020 3334 5021