Funding gap for UK troop inquests

Inquests are held in the UK for soldiers killed while serving abroad

The government has not provided further funds to the coroner investigating the deaths of British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the BBC has learned.

This is despite pledges to help bereaved families by cutting the length of time they must wait for an inquest.

Last year a backlog of cases built up and more funding was given to the Oxfordshire coroner.

In April, Wiltshire took over all new cases but the county's service has not yet received any more funds.

BBC correspondent Angus Crawford said Wiltshire's coroner, its county council and its chief constable have all requested more funds.

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But they have been told they will have to make their case at a meeting in the autumn.

Rose Gentle's son Gordon was killed in Iraq in 2004, but as yet no inquest has been held.

She said: "I'm really fed up with the way the families have been treated.

"They've promised to put all this money in, they ought to start... doing it. I don't blame the coroner, it's really the government's fault."

Peter Brierley, whose son died in Iraq four years ago, said it was difficult to move on while waiting for the inquest to take place.

He said: "You know your son is dead, but you don't know what happened and all of the circumstances.

"It is time this was sorted out."

'Unacceptable'

The bodies of more than 30 service personnel have been flown to Wiltshire so far.

In October the then constitutional affairs minister Harriet Harman, who is now Labour deputy leader, said the backlog of inquest cases was "unacceptable" and would be "sorted out".

Jane Scott, leader of Wiltshire County Council, fears there could be problems ahead for families of the bereaved.

She said: "I am surprised they haven't learned their lesson from Oxfordshire and they just haven't reflected it in funding in Wiltshire when we wrote to them saying that we would have the same pressures on our service as Oxfordshire did."

More than 220 UK service personnel have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since operations began in both countries.

'Progress made'

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said it was regularly reviewing the progress of military inquests.

It also noted that the Wiltshire coroner was transferring as many inquests as he could to other coroners.

"The original backlog of inquests was unacceptable and with the extra resources we provided to the Oxfordshire coroner to reduce it, progress has been made.

"Ministers make quarterly statements to Parliament on progress made to review the backlog. All casualties suffered by the UK armed forces are a source of profound regret."