The Registration of Births and Deaths Regulations 1987

Registration where inquest is not held

43.—(1) Where, before the expiration of 12 months from the date of a death which has not been registered, the relevant registrar is notified by the coroner that he does not intend to hold an inquest, the registrar shall, subject to paragraph (4), take such action as may be required to register the death and the particulars on form 13 in the presence of a qualified informant, entering the particulars required in spaces 1 to 8, in accordance with Regulation 42(2) to (7) but subject, in relation to space 8 of form 13 (cause of death), to paragraphs (2) and (3) below.

(2) Where the coroner in his notification certifies the cause of death disclosed by any report on a post-mortem examination of the body made by his direction under section 21 of the Coroners (Amendment) Act 1926(1), the registrar shall enter in space 8 of form 13 the cause of death precisely as stated in the notification followed by the words “Certified by ... ... ... ...”, inserting the name, surname and description of the coroner followed by the words “after post-mortem without inquest”.

(3) Where the coroner’s notification shows that no post-mortem examination was held by his direction, and the registrar is unable to obtain delivery of a certificate of cause of death, he shall enter in space 8 of form 13 the cause of death–

(a) if the cause is stated in the coroner’s notification, precisely as so stated;

(b) in any other case, as stated by the informant who shall then also verify space 8 (as well as spaces 1 to 7).

(4) After the expiration of 12 months from its date a death shall not be registered under this Regulation.

(1)

Section 21 was amended by Schedule 2 to the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953 (c. 20) and by paragraph 6 of Schedule 1 to the Coroners Act 1980 (c. 38).