Speeches

Louise Ellman – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Louise Ellman on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make representations to his Danish counterpart on reopening the inquest into the death of commercial diver Stephen O’Malley in 2012.

Caroline Dinenage

Under powers in the Coroners Act 1988 (as amended) a new coroner investigation may be ordered by the High Court, with the authority of the Attorney General, where it is in the interests of justice to do so because of fraud, rejection of evidence, irregularity of proceedings or insufficiency of inquiry in the original inquest or new facts or evidence have come to light. It therefore falls outside the responsibility of the Secretary of State.