Death

All Standard Notes
15 Documents
DateDescription
17.04.2013Missing persons and the presumption of death
A missing person may be reported to the police. In addition, a number of organisations offer assistance in searching for a missing person.
27.11.2012Presumption 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).
19.07.2012Inheritance Tax : reliefs
This note provides a summary description of the structure of inheritance tax and the main reliefs which are available.
18.07.2012Challenging 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.
29.02.2012Arranging 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.
06.01.2012Coroners' inquests
The Coroners Act 1988 requires coroners to hold inquests where there is reasonable cause to suspect that the deceased died a violent or unnatural death, a sudden death of which the cause is unknown, or has died in prison. The purpose of an inquest is to establish who the deceased was, where and when the deceased died, and how the deceased came by his or her death.
25.11.2011The Office of the Chief Coroner
The Coroners and Justice Act 2009 provides for the appointment of a new Chief Coroner and associated officers, although most of the relevant provisions have not been implemented. Following the election, the Government first announced that the Office of the Chief Coroner would be abolished, because of the costs involved, and that some of the Chief Coroner's functions would be transferred to suitable alternative bodies. It then proposed to leave the Office on the statute book, but to transfer some of the functions of the Chief Coroner to the Lord Chief Justice and the Lord Chancellor, and to set up a Ministerial Board and supporting Bereaved Organisations Committee. The changes were to be effected largely through the Public Bodies Bill [HL] and associated regulations. These proposals attracted considerable criticism, both from within Parliament, mainly during consideration of the Public Bodies Bill [HL], and from interested organisations. On 22 November 2011, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Kenneth Clarke, announced that, having listened to concerns, he had decided to implement the Office of the Chief Coroner.
26.07.2011Inheritance Tax
This note gives a brief summary of the structure of inheritance tax, before looking at the debates there have been about the tax in recent years.
02.03.2011Estates of Deceased Persons (Forfeiture Rule and Law of Succession) Bill : Committee Stage Report
This is a report on the House of Commons Committee Stage of the Estates of Deceased Persons (Forfeiture Rule and Law of Succession) Bill (the Bill). It complements Research Paper 11/07 prepared for the Commons Second Reading. The Bill is a Private Member's Bill. It was presented to Parliament by Greg Knight, through the ballot procedure, on 30 June 2010 as Bill 8 of 2010-11 and had its second reading on 21 January 2011. The Bill had a single sitting in a Public Bill Committee on 16 February 2011. No amendments had been tabled and there was no disagreement to any of the clauses. The Bill was reported without amendment. The Bill would, in certain circumstances, protect the inheritance rights of the descendants of people who have forfeited their inheritance by killing the deceased; or who have decided not to accept their own inheritance. Broadly, it would implement, with modifications, a number of the recommendations of the Law Commission in its 2005 report, The Forfeiture Rule and the Law of Succession. The Bill would extend to England and Wales.
24.05.2010Inheritance tax and probate
In 2003 the Government introduced a new Direct Payment scheme, to deal with a problem created by the interaction between the conditions placed on an estate before a grant of probate is issued, and the requirements to pay inheritance tax on that estate. This note describes the introduction of the new scheme.
03.12.2009Indicators of hospital performance published by the Care Quality Commission and Dr. Foster Research
This note examines measures of hospital standards and patient safety published by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Dr. Foster Research Limited and critically appraises the methodology underpinning their assessments. Concerns have been raised about the lack of consistency between the CQC and Dr. Foster ratings; in the final section, a comparison is made between the two, and some explanations for the discrepancies are offered.
06.11.2009Coroners and Justice Bill: Lords amendments
This note outlines the principal amendments made to the Coroners and Justice Bill during its Lords stages. Of particular significance are the amendments relating to secret inquests, the use of intercept evidence, the "free speech" proviso to the offence of inciting hatred on the grounds of sexual orientation, the "crime of passion" defence to murder and the introduction of an Independent Commissioner for Terrorist Suspects.
08.10.2009Exclusive rights of burial
A burial authority may grant an exclusive right of burial for a period not exceeding 100 years. Generally, the effect of purchasing the exclusive right of burial is that the grave may not be opened and no one may be buried there without the owner's permission
18.05.2009Mortality rates at Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
The objective of this note is to explain the concept of hospiral standardised motality ratios, and summarise the statistics relating to HSMRs at mid-Staffordshire that were available before the March-October 2008 Healthcare Commission investigation, and those that came to light afterwards.
15.01.2009Excess winter mortality: Topical Social Indicators page
All Research Papers
3 Documents
DateDescription
18.01.2011Estates 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.
14.01.2009Social 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
07.05.1999Northern 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.