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<p> </p><p> </p><p>Rules 12 to 15 of the Coroners (Inquests) Rules 2013 (<a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/1616/contents/made"
target="_blank">http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/1616/contents/made</a>) provide
for a coroner, on request, to disclose relevant documents to ‘interested persons'
in the coroner's investigation, subject to specified restrictions. This may include
reports that police provide to the coroner.</p><p> </p><p>Rule 16 of the Rules provides
that a coroner may not charge a fee for any document disclosed before or during an
inquest. Regulation 12 of the Coroners Allowances, Fees and Expenses Regulations 2013
(<a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/1615/contents/made" target="_blank">http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/1615/contents/made</a>)
sets out the fees that coroners may charge for disclosure after an inquest.</p><p>
</p><p>We do not have operational responsibility for coroners so do not hold data
on the costs to coroners of supplying documents and there would be disproportionate
costs for both MoJ and coroners in obtaining it. This is because we would need to
approach each coroner to ask them to investigate and advise MoJ of the costs to them
of disclosing police reports to interested persons.</p><p> </p><p>The Rules minimise
disclosure costs for coroners by providing for electronic disclosure where appropriate,
and for a coroner to disclose a bundle of relevant documents together, where this
is more efficient. Paragraphs 117 to 126 of the Chief Coroner's Guide to the Coroners
and Justice Act 2009 (<a href="http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/Resources/JCO/Documents/coroners/guidance/chief-coroners-guide-to-act-sept2013.pdf"
target="_blank">http://www.judiciary.gov.uk/Resources/JCO/Documents/coroners/guidance/chief-coroners-guide-to-act-sept2013.pdf</a>)
explain this in more detail.</p><p> </p><p>The coroner provisions in the 2009 Act
were implemented in July 2013 and we have undertaken to review their impact after
18 months.</p>
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