Concerning new figures expose how few coroners ask DWP to provide evidence to inquests

New figures have sparked “serious concern” about the failure of coroners across England and Wales to seek evidence from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) following deaths of benefit claimants.

The figures show that, in just two years, DWP provided support to more than 900 multi-agency reviews into safeguarding failures that may have contributed to serious harm or death, and deaths linked to domestic abuse.

But in the same two years, DWP provided evidence to just 52 inquests.

There have been concerns dating back at least a decade over the failure of many coroners to seek information from DWP when a claimant has died and there are potential links between their death and their benefit claim.

These include failures by the coroners who led inquests into the deaths of Christian Wilcox and Roy Curtis, and the first inquest into the death of Jodey Whiting.

The new figures – based on unpublished DWP management information – were secured through a freedom of information request submitted by Disability News Service (DNS).

The response shows that, in 2024-25, DWP supported 167 referrals from domestic homicide reviews (DHRs) and 234 safeguarding adults reviews (SARs), but just 27 referrals from coroners.

The following year, DWP supported 219 domestic abuse related death reviews (DHRs had been renamed in May 2024 through the Victims and Prisoners Act) and 310 SARs, and just 25 inquests.

Earlier this year, coroners were asked to do more to question DWP’s role in the deaths of benefit claimants.

That call came when senior coroners were each sent a copy of a book* which investigates how DWP caused countless deaths of disabled claimants, following a crowd-funder in memory of one of the department’s victims, 31-year-old Krissi Hunt, from Stockport, who took her own life in November 2023**.

A coroner concluded that DWP’s actions and failings contributed to a decline in her mental health and were among the factors that probably led to her decision to end her life.

But he did not send DWP a prevention of future deaths (PFD) report, which coroners have a duty to write after an inquest to individuals or organisations that they think can take action to prevent future deaths.

The letter accompanying the book called on senior coroners to send PFD reports to DWP after deaths like Krissi’s.

But it also called on coroners to take steps before an inquest begins to question if the deceased person had been known to DWP, had received or been denied benefits, or was subject to sanctions before they died; and to consider whether they need to seek evidence on these issues, and to investigate links between DWP failings and suicides.

Jenny Barrow, whose husband was Krissi’s step-father and herself has a long-term health condition, said: “The low numbers of coroners who have asked the DWP to provide evidence for an inquest is of serious concern.

“It raises questions about the discretionary role coroners can play when deciding whether to involve the DWP or not and if a mandatory requirement for evidence would be a better approach.

“Grieving families should never have to be in a position where they need to ask or convince a coroner to involve the DWP, as I did.”

Although DNS understands that the March 2023 Court of Appeal judgement that led to a second inquest into the death of Jodey Whiting has fed through into training for coroners, it is not clear what changes have been made.

And despite any changes to this training, the number of inquests DWP supported fell last year, compared with 2024-25.

This week, the chief coroner for England and Wales, Judge Alexia Durran, declined to comment on the figures; say if she would examine these apparent failings by coroners; or say if she would provide fresh guidance on when coroners should seek evidence from DWP as part of their investigations into deaths.

A spokesperson for the chief coroner, whose role includes providing guidance and leadership to coroners, said: “This is not something that the chief coroner can comment on.

“Oversight and policy decisions are matters for the government, not the chief coroner.”

The chief coroner’s webpage says her role includes providing support, leadership and guidance for coroners, and helping to provide suitable training arrangements for coroners and coroners’ officers.

When this was pointed out, the spokesperson declined to comment further.

The Coroners’ Society of England and Wales, which represents coroners, also declined to comment because of the “constitutional imperative of judicial independence”, even though the society’s website states that its objectives include “the promotion of the usefulness of the office of coroner to the public… and the ascertainment in questions of difficulty of the duties which devolve on coroners”.

André Rebello, senior coroner for Liverpool and Wirral, and the society’s honorary secretary, told DNS this week that the society was bound by the Guide to Judicial Conduct because its members were all coroners.

But the guide says that “many aspects of the administration of justice and the functioning of the courts are the subject of necessary and legitimate public consideration, and appropriate judicial contribution to this debate can be desirable” and “may contribute to public understanding and to public confidence in the judiciary”.

When this was pointed out to Rebello, he added: “I can only explain how the constitutional separation of powers works – judges do not comment on executive function.

“If there is a challenge to a coroner it should be to the senior courts by judicial review – coroners and the society do not debate these matters with the media or otherwise outside the statutory framework for discharging office.”

DNS had not asked the society to comment on a particular coroner’s actions.

The Ministry of Justice had not commented by noon today (Thursday).

*The Department: How a Violent Government Bureaucracy Killed Hundreds and Hid the Evidence, DNS editor John Pring’s book on the years of deaths linked to DWP, is published by Pluto Press

**The following organisations are among those that could be able to offer support if you have been affected by the issues raised in this article:  Mind, Papyrus, Rethink, Samaritans, and SOS Silence of Suicide

Picture: Jodey Whiting’s parents Joy Dove (right) and Eric Whiting (centre), and the family’s barrister, Jesse Nicholls, speaking to the media after the second inquest last year