Discussion paper - sensitive reporting in coroners' courts

Published on: 27 March 2008

The government announced in October 2007 that Clause 30 of the draft Coroners Bill, which proposed introducing a power for coroners to impose reporting restrictions in inquests where there was no public interest, was to be removed from the Bill. This decision was the result of an extensive consultation culminating in a workshop discussion involving a range of interested stakeholders with differing views.

Improving the way that the coroner system meets the needs of the bereaved while also serving the public interest is a key objective of our coroner reform proposals. As an alternative to legislating on reporting restrictions, this discussion paper considers whether the Press Complaints Commission's code of conduct might be refined to ensure there is appropriate emphasis on the need for sensitive reporting of coroners' cases. The discussion paper also considers what more could be done to increase public awareness about the code and the possible presence of the press at inquests.