JUST over 100 inquests are currently outstanding in Jersey, a freedom of information response has revealed, with a higher-than-usual number of deaths in 2022 – including 13 lives lost in the Haut du Mont and L’Ecume II tragedies – contributing to the caseload.
Data included in the FOI response also revealed that around a quarter of the posts in the Viscount’s Department were vacant, with the recruitment situation described as “challenging”.
The answer notes that on 30 November this year, 102 inquests had been opened but not yet concluded. This includes 22 cases relating to criminal investigations or proceedings, including ten from the Haut du Mont explosion on 10 December 2022 and three from L’Ecume II’s collision with a ferry two days earlier. Jersey Law states that criminal proceedings must be concluded before the inquest process can be finalised.
No figures were available for the average time span between the opening of an inquest and its conclusion, but the response states that the longest-running inquest currently open stemmed from a death in 2018 – a case set to conclude within the next six months.
The response outlines staffing levels within the Viscount’s Department, which, at capacity, would consist of the equivalent of 31.8 full-time posts.
Including a new starter in early 2024, there were 24.1 staff in post, leaving 7.7 vacancies.
The response adds: “The Viscount’s Department are recruiting new team members in accordance with the States employment process.”
“With respect to the Viscount’s role as coroner and the associated administrative support required, this is a specialist role, with little or no synergy with other workstreams of the department, and this makes recruitment more challenging.”
Responding to a query about whether there was concern about the length of time being taken to complete inquests, the Viscount’s Department said: “The coroner is always mindful of the bereaved family’s situation and the impact that delays can cause them, as well as others connected with a death such as witnesses, some of whom might be vulnerable and traumatised by a death.
“For these reasons, the aim remains for inquests to be advanced as expeditiously as possible.”
Among the reasons cited as factors that might contribute to an inquest taking time to complete are:
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Waiting for the conclusion of criminal proceedings or other statutory investigations in relation to a death.
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Waiting for the results of specialist tests and analyses or examination of organs and tissues.
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Waiting for information concerning deaths of Jersey citizens abroad where evidence is obtained through the UK Foreign Office.
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Responding to requests from family members wishing to attend the inquest.
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The availability of witnesses and experts.
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Additional enquiries that arise during the course of the investigation requiring further expert and specialist opinion.
The response concludes: “The major fatalities caused by the L’Ecume II / ferry collision and the Haut du Mont explosion, coupled with a greater than usual number of deaths in 2022, particularly over the winter period 2022/23, have had a significant impact on the workload of the small but dedicated coroner team at the Viscount’s Department.”
Statistics published on the government website show that 210 deaths were reported in 2022, compared with 166 in 2021 and 162 in 2020.
