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Coroners
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether any procedure is in place to ensure that each coroner works with the local community which he is appointed to serve; and[HL4212]
What is the projected timetable to bring together the reports of the Fundamental Review of Death Certification and Coroner Services with the third report from the Shipman inquiry covering similar issues; and[HL4213]
What plans they have to implement changes following the Coroners' Officers Working Party Report; and[HL4214]
Whether consideration has been given to housing coroners' officers in their local hospital, rather than the police station, to enable close working relationships in line with the recommendations in the report, Families and Post Mortems—A code of practice.[HL4215]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Coroners are appointed locally to serve a specific district in accordance with the provisions of coroner legislation. The location of coroners' officers within a coroner's district is a matter to be decided locally depending on need and practicality. I understand that in a number of coroners' districts, officers are already located at hospitals.
When the report on the provision of Coroners' Officers was published in August 2002, we made it clear that it would not be appropriate to seek to implement any changes to the existing arrangements for the provision of officers in advance of the outcome of the wider ranging reviews then in hand.
The Report of the Fundamental Review 2003—Death Certification and Investigation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was published on 4 June. My honourable friend Paul Goggins announced that in order to assist the Government to develop a coherent long-term strategy for the future of our death investigation processes, the Home Secretary had asked the chair of the Review, Mr Tom Luce, to undertake some further work to link the review's recommendations to the relevant findings of the Shipman inquiry. I expect this work to be completed in the autumn and for decisions to be taken on our programme of reform as soon as possible thereafter. We are also keen to ensure that we improve how the needs of the bereaved are met in the mean time.
Forensic Science Service: Annual Report and Accounts 2002–03
Baroness Hilton of Eggardon asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they intend to publish the Forensic Science Service (FSS) Annual Accounts for 2002–03.[HL4306]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I have today laid before this House copies of the Forensic Science Service's Annual Report and Accounts for 2002–03. Performance against Agency targets 2002–03
The FSS met seven of its nine targets and put in a strong financial performance.
Financial targetsA 23.4 per cent return on capital employed was produced against a minimum target of 10 per cent.
A three-year rolling efficiency gain of 13.8 per cent was achieved against a target of 10 per cent. Service Delivery
A 74-day turn round time in 90 per cent standard jobs (violent and volume crime cases) was achieved against a target of 70 days.
Dispatch dates in 94 per cent of urgent, 93 per cent critical cases and 96 per cent in persistent young offenders cases were met against targets of 98 per cent, 98 per cent and 99 per cent respectively.
Dispatch dates in 93 per cent of all categories of cases were met against a target of 93 per cent.
An 11 per cent increase on baseline in a transactional index of customer perception was achieved against a target of five per cent.
Service level agreements were put in place with 98 per cent of police forces against a target of 92 per cent.
Application for 100 per cent of reporting officers for accreditation to the Council for the Registration of Forensic Practitioners, where appropriate, was achieved against a target of 100 per cent.
External quality accreditation to ISO standards was maintained.
The main targets for 2003–04, the agency's fifth year of trading fund, area as follows. The targets are set out in full in Annex A. Finance:
- Target: a minimum of 15 per cent return on capital employed (three-year rolling average).
- Target: a real reduction in charges by limiting price increases to 75 per cent of the average earnings index.
- Target: an increase in investment in development to 12 per cent of turnover.
- Target: generate £1 million external funding for research and development.
Non-Finance:
- Target: 14-day average to inform customers of DNA crime scene stain result.
- Target: six-day average to inform customers of DNA suspect sample result.
- Target: turnaround time for 95 per cent of jobs to be 42 days by year end.
- Target: maintain ISO accreditation.
- Target: maintain Investors in People accreditation.
- Target: introduce new diversity programme.
Annex A
- Target: a minimum of 15 per cent return on capital employed (three-year rolling average).
- Target: a real reduction in charges by limiting price increases to 75 per cent of the average earnings index.
- Target: an increase in investment in development to 12 per cent of turnover.
- Target: generate £1 million external funding for research and development.
Non-Finance:
- Target: establish an internal FSS end to end case ownership process.
- Target: to have processes in place with 25 per cent of police forces within six months and 60 per cent by year end that agree new definitions of timeliness based on investigative and evidential contributions of forensic science.
- Target: set up a pilot with customer to get agreement to devise a new process of end-to-end case ownership.
- Target: sign up 60 per cent of customers (Police and CPS) at force level to service agreements (timeliness and charging) in context of national protocol.
- Target: to have a process in place for 25 per cent in six months and 60 per cent by year end of cases to have a dedicated FSS case officer.
- Target: develop training packages to support new ways of working by the year end.
- Target: to engage training organisations to roll out training for Police and CPS.
- Target: to design and develop a link between the National DNA Database and the National Automated Fingerprint Identification System (NAFIS).
- Target: develop capability and capacity to deliver fast track processing of DNA samples within 48 hours.
- Target: average time to analyse and inform customers of DNA crime scene stain results (normal track) of 14 days.
- Target: 95 per cent of DNA crime scene stain results to have a turnround time of 20 days.
- Target: average time to analyse and inform customers of DNA suspect sample results on the National DNA Database (normal track cases) of six days.
- Target: 95 per cent of DNA suspect sample results to have a turnround time of 10 days.
- Target: increase forensic effectiveness by developing an index and benchmark with Police Standards Unit (PSU).
- Target: turnround time for 95 per cent of jobs to be 42 days by year end.
- Target: maintain ISO accreditation.
- Target: maintain Investors in People accreditation.
- Target: establish and implement a diversity programme.
Iraqi Military Casualties
Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What arrangements they are making, together with the United States, to establish the numbers and, where possible, the identities of Iraq's military personnel who fell in the most recent war so that they can be properly commemorated; and what arrangements they are similarly making, for welfare reasons, to establish the numbers and identities of the wounded; and how soon they expect this work to be completed.[HL3838]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach): We have no viable means of ascertaining the numbers or identities of Iraqi military personnel who were killed or injured during the coalition's military action.
The Deployed Operating Instructions issued to all United Kingdom military units state that enemy dead are to be treated the same as UK military dead. This includes a direction that, where next of kin cannot be traced, the bodies are to be given the same funeral as would UK military personnel, subject to religious practices. Wounded enemy personnel are given care and medical attention that accord fully with our obligations under the Geneva Convention.
Iraq: Civilian Casualties
Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:
- In relation to the most recent war in Iraq, what arrangements they are making, together with the United States, to establish how many civilians were killed; how many civilians were wounded as the result of the employment of cluster bombs; how many civilians have been killed and how many civilians have been wounded by the detonation of unexploded cluster bombs; and how many unexploded cluster bombs and bomblets have so far been rendered safe since the end of the war. [HL3839]
Lord Bach: We have no viable means of ascertaining the numbers of civilians who were killed or injured by cluster bombs during or since the coalition's military action.
United Kingdom and other coalition explosive ordnance disposal teams in the UK's area of responsibility have completed over 1,000 tasks and destroyed over 100,000 individual munitions. We do not record types of munitions destroyed.
A full survey of sites contaminated with unexploded munitions is now under way. The survey is being conducted in concert with other coalition forces, non-governmental organisations and demining companies. On average the survey is identifying 30 new EOD tasks each week.
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