To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many complaints his Department has received on (a) coroner Dr. Paul Knapman and (b) deputy coroner Dr. William Dolman in the last five years; and what steps have been taken in response to such complaints. (272880)

The Lord Chief Justice and I have joint responsibility, through the Office for Judicial Complaints, for considering complaints against the judiciary, including coroners. However, those powers do not extend to deputy coroners.

We have recently announced that we will usually make public information about members of the judiciary who are removed from office as a result of the consideration of a complaint or conduct issue about them. We do not normally comment, however, on whether or not a complaint has been lodged against a named member of the judiciary until such time as any such matter is fully investigated and the Lord Chief Justice and I have decided that a disciplinary sanction is required. In exceptional circumstances, however, the Office for Judicial Complaints may confirm that an investigation is under way, where the matter is already in the public domain.