Death Certificates
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2025 to Question 29847 on Death Certificates, if he will publish the findings of his Department's monitoring of the impact of the death certification reforms on the time taken to register deaths.
Answered by Dr Zubir Ahmed
We believe the answer of 17 February 2025 refers to the answer given to Question 29570. The Department’s monitoring of the impact of death certification reforms, including the time to register a death, includes consideration of:
- the annual report of the National Medical Examiner, which was published on 11 September 2025, and the next annual report is expected in early Summer 2026. The report published on 11 September 2025 is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-medical-examiner-report-2024/;
- published data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), including the Analysis of death registrations since death certification reform, published on 9 October 2025, and we expect the ONS to publish a further report later in 2026. This report is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/national-medical-examiner-report-2024/; and
- feedback from a wide range of partners including NHS England, the National Medical Examiner, the Welsh Government, the General Register Office, the funeral sector and faith groups, and the Royal College of Pathologists.
Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →