§ MR. SAMUEL SMITH (Flintshire)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been drawn to the repeated complaints made against the Coroner for Flintshire with regard to the delay in holding inquests in his district, for instance, in the case of Joseph Edwards, Primrose Hill, Connah's Quay, who was drowned at Saltney on Wednesday 13th April, while no inquest was held until Saturday 16th April, and in the case of Henry Lynch, who was found dead in bed at Wepre, Connah's Quay, on 18th March, no inquest was held at all, though the body remained unburied for four days, and in both cases timely notice had been given to the Coroner?
§ MR. STUART WORTLEY(who replied) said: We learn from the Coroner that in the case of Edwards, who was drowned on the 13th April, no intimation of the death reached him until the next day. The Coroner's officer was unable to get his 1760 warrant issued to summon a jury until the day following, which was Good Friday, a day on which the inquest could not take place. The inquest was held on the Saturday morning, which, under the circumstances, was the earliest possible day. As to the case of Henry Lynch, who was found dead on 18th March, the Coroner informs us that on the day following he received a police report which stated the cause of death to be unknown, and that he immediately telegraphed for further inquiries to be made, and for the result to be reported to him by telegraph. Upon receiving a telegram in reply the same day that the deceased was supposed to have died from heart disease, and that there were no suspicious circumstances, he thereupon issued his certificate that no inquest was necessary. The Secretary of State is informed by the Coroner that he has not heard of any complaints being made against him except those contained in the hon. Member's question.