British coroners' revamp

The British Government has proposed a shake-up of the coroners' court system in England and Wales by replacing the mostly part-time staff with full-time and fully trained staff.

The legislation was drafted in response to the murder spree of Dr Harold Shipman, who was not detected by coroners' courts. The 111 mostly part-time coroners in England and Wales will be replaced by 65 full-time coroners, working under a chief coroner.