Editing Coroner (section)

====England and Wales====
{{See also|Inquests in England and Wales}}
The coroner service in England and Wales is supervised by the [[Chief Coroner of England and Wales|Chief Coroner]], a judge appointed by the Lord Chief Justice after consulting the Lord Chancellor. The Chief Coroner provides advice, guidance and training to coroners and aims to secure uniformity of practice throughout England and Wales. The post is currently part-time. The present Chief Coroner is [[Alexia Durran]]. <ref>{{cite web |title=Appointment of new Chief Coroner |url=https://www.judiciary.uk/appointments-and-retirements/appointment-of-new-chief-coroner-2/ |website=Judiciary UK |date=20 May 2024 |publisher=Courts & Tribunals Judiciary |access-date=8 Nov 2024}}</ref>

England and Wales are divided into coroner districts by the Lord Chancellor, each district consisting of the area or areas of one or more local authorities.  The relevant local authority, with the consent of the Chief Coroner and the Lord Chancellor, must appoint a senior coroner for the district. It must also appoint area coroners (in effect deputies to the senior coroner) and assistant coroners, to the number that the Lord Chancellor considers necessary in view of the physical character and population of the district.  The cost of the coroner service for the district falls upon the local authority or authorities concerned, and thus ultimately upon the local inhabitants. There are 98 coroners in England and Wales, covering 109 local authority areas.<ref>[https://www.cps.gov.uk/legal-guidance/coroners Coroners] at cps.gov.uk; retrieved 5 July 2018</ref>

To become a coroner in [[England and Wales]] the applicant must be a qualified [[solicitor]], [[barrister]], or a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) with at least five years' qualified experience.<ref>[https://www.judiciary.gov.uk/about-the-judiciary/the-justice-system/coroners/ "Coroners"] at judiciary.uk; reviewed 2 July 2018</ref> This reflects the role of a coroner: to determine the cause of death of a deceased in cases where the death was sudden, unexpected, occurred abroad, was suspicious in any way, or happened while the person was under the control of central authority (e.g., in police [[Powers of the police in England and Wales#Detention|custody]]).  Until 2013 a qualified medical practitioner could be appointed, but that is no longer possible. Any medical coroner still in office will either have been appointed before 2013, or, exceptionally, will hold both medical and legal qualifications.

Formerly, every justice of the High Court was ''ex officio'' a coroner for every district in England and Wales. This is no longer so; there are now no ''ex officio'' coroners.  A senior judge is sometimes appointed ''ad hoc'' as a deputy coroner to undertake a high-profile inquest, such as those into the deaths of [[Diana, Princess of Wales]] and the victims of the [[2005 London bombings]].