Coroners: Armed Forces

Robert Key
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what new arrangements she plans to make to fund HM Coroners following her decision to transfer responsibility for coroners inquests from Oxfordshire to the home counties of individual deceased military personnel; and if she will make a statement.

Ms Harman
I will continue to regularly review progress regarding these inquests. I do not plan to make any new funding arrangements where inquests are transferred by the Oxfordshire coroner to coroners nearer to the next of kin.

Mr. Harper
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many inquests into deaths of service personnel killed in (a) Iraq and (b) Afghanistan are still outstanding; and when she expects this backlog to be cleared.

Ms Harman
There are 42 inquests outstanding relating to service personnel killed in Iraq and 45 relating to service personnel killed in Afghanistan The timing of individual inquests is a matter for the coroner concerned to determine but I expect outstanding inquests to be concluded without any unnecessary delay.