Death
This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on death. This includes select committee reports, briefing papers on current legislation and other subjects produced by the parliamentary research services, and the latest Early Day Motions put down by MPs. Related information can be found under
burial and cremation,
coroners and
registration of births, deaths and marriages.
Standard Notes
| 27.11.2012 | Presumption of Death Bill: Committee stage report |
| This is a report on the House of Commons Committee Stage of the Presumption of Death Bill (the Bill). It complements Library standard note, Missing persons and the presumption of death (SN/HA/4890). |
| 31.10.2012 | Missing persons and the presumption of death |
| There is currently no one piece of legislation in England and Wales which deals with the presumption of death. In July 2012, in response to a Justice Committee recommendation, the Government announced that legislation would be introduced 'when Parliamentary time permits'. In June 2012, John Glen introduced the Presumption of Death Bill. The Bill, and Explanatory Notes prepared by the Ministry of Justice with the consent of John Glen, is scheduled for second reading on 2 November 2012. The Bill would enable an application to be made to court for a declaration that a missing person is deemed to have died. |
| 19.07.2012 | Inheritance Tax : reliefs |
| This note provides a summary description of the structure of inheritance tax and the main reliefs which are available. |
| 18.07.2012 | Challenging coroners'decisions |
| There is no right of appeal from an inquest. However, a coroner's decision or an inquest verdict can sometimes be challenged by way of an application under section 13 of the Coroners Act 1988, an application for judicial review, or an application under the Human Rights Act 1998. Anyone seeking to challenge a coroner's decision or an inquest verdict should take specific legal advice as quickly as possible to establish whether there are grounds to do so and the relevant time limit. |
| 29.02.2012 | Arranging and paying for a funeral |
| Reasonable funeral expenses are payable out of the deceased's estate in priority to the payment of any unsecured debts or liabilities. Anyone who arranges the funeral will generally be responsible for paying the funeral directors' bill, so it is important to establish where the money will come from, especially if there is insufficient property in the deceased's estate to pay for the funeral. |
Research Papers
| 18.01.2011 | Estates of Deceased Persons (Forfeiture Rule and Law of Succession) Bill |
| The Estates of Deceased Persons (Forfeiture Rule and Law of Succession) Bill is a Private Member's Bill introduced by Greg Knight under the ballot procedure. The Ministry of Justice has indicated to Greg Knight that it will support the Bill and has assisted with drafting the Bill and the Explanatory Notes.
The Bill would protect the inheritance rights of the descendants of people who have:
• forfeited their inheritance by killing the deceased; or
• decided not to accept their own inheritance.
It would give general effect to the recommendations of the Law Commission in its 2005 report, The Forfeiture Rule and the Law of Succession, which were accepted by the Labour Government in 2006. Similar provisions to those contained in the Bill were included in the Draft Civil Law Reform Bill which the Labour Government published in December 2009. The Coalition Government is not proceeding with that draft Bill. |
| 14.01.2009 | Social Indicators |
| This Research Paper summarises a wide range of social statistics. Subjects covered include crime and justice, defence, education, elections, health and population. This edition of Social Indicators includes an article from the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress, Washington , D.C..
This edition includes:
Social background of the United States Congress 2009
Local authority finance in a recession
2011 UK Census of Population
Underage drinking
Excess winter mortality |
| 07.05.1999 | Northern Ireland (Location of Victims Remains) Bill (Bill 92 1998/99) |
| Northern Ireland (Location of Victims' Remains) Bill. (Bill 92 of 1998/99). House of Commons Library Research Paper 99/49. |
Early Day Motions
| 13.10.2011 | DEATHS FOLLOWING RESIDENTIAL HOME CLOSURES |
| That this House notes with deep concern the worsening crisis for elderly care as growing numbers of local authority and private care homes face closure; acknowledges concerns that the ... |
| 02.03.2011 | DEATH OF SHAHBAZ BHATTI |
| That this House condemns the assassination of Shahbaz Bhatti, the Pakistani Minister for Minorities, who was the only Christian in the cabinet; notes that this comes only days after ... |
| 20.12.2010 | LOSS OF MEDICAL RECORDS OF DECEASED PERSONS |
| That this House notes that according to the Minister of Health, NHS organisations have a legal responsibility under the Data Protection Act to retain records safely and for a prescribed ... |
| 16.09.2010 | DEATHS AT GOSPORT HOSPITAL |
| That this House notes with dismay the recent decision by the Crown Prosecution Service not to prosecute any individual doctor, nurse or manager for unlawful killing at Gosport War Memorial ... |
| 27.07.2010 | INQUEST INTO THE DEATH OF IAN TOMLINSON |
| That this House notes the public interest and disquiet over the case of Ian Tomlinson and the threat to public trust and confidence in the police that this case poses; further notes ... |
