Written questions by Dodds.

What steps her Department is taking to help reduce the time taken to carry out inquests.

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of inquest delays on bereaved families.

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

How many inquests are currently in progress in England as of 11 March 2026.

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

Whether he has had recent discussions with the Chief Coroner, Local Authorities and other key partners on reducing the length of time for inquests.

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the time taken for coroner inquests to be completed on bereaved families in England.

Coroner services are locally funded and administered in each of the 74 coroner areas in England and Wales. Operational issues are the responsibility of the relevant local authority in each area and real-time inquest data is not collated centrally.The Government publishes annual coroner statistics for England and Wales at: Coroners and burials statistics - GOV.UK. The 2025 Statistics will be published on 14 May 2026.The Government is committed to supporting an inquest process which is swift as possible and puts the bereaved at the heart of the process. We recognise the impact of delays on bereaved families and wider systems. We will continue to work closely with the Chief Coroner, local authorities and other key partners to reform and deliver a framework for the future development of coroner services England and Wales. This work will also take into account the implications of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill for the delivery of coroner services and the experience of the bereaved at inquest.

What steps she is taking to improve (a) data and (b) evidence collection in response to her Department's report entitled Intergenerational offending: A narrative review of the literature, published on 5 June 2025.

Official Statistics on the scale of parental imprisonment were published in July 2024 and can be found at: Official Statistics in Development: Estimates of children with a parent in prison - GOV.UK.Further work is ongoing to refine these estimates. Additionally, analysis has started with the aim of providing more in-depth understanding of the impact of parental imprisonment on children, looking at factors such as demographics and education. This work will provide valuable insights, with the intention of driving meaningful change in policy and support for affected children.The Areas of Research Interest publication reflects our ambition to improve the evidence base on intergenerational offending. This is used as the basis for ongoing conversations, collaboration and challenge with experts in academia, research organisations and funding bodies, and can be found at: Areas of Research Interest.

What steps her Department is taking to support children with a parent in prison.

Having a parent in prison is considered an adverse childhood experience and can have a significant impact on a child’s life chances. This Government has committed to ensuring these children are identified and offered the support they need to thrive.We are working closely with the Department for Education to determine how to effectively identify and support these children. We understand the importance of driving forward this agenda and officials from both Departments are working with a wide range of stakeholders, including sector experts and those with lived experience, to support the development of policy proposals.Prisons across England and Wales already offer a range of services to maintain family relationships including social visits, family days, prison voicemail and collaborations with organisations such as the award-winning charity led initiative Storybook Mums and Dads, enabling parents in prison to record bedtime stories for their children.