Suffolk Coroner’s Service privacy notice

The Suffolk Coroner’s Service is committed to protecting your privacy. If you have any queries about this notice, please contact:

Telephone: 0345 607 2040
Email: coroners.service@suffolk.gov.uk

Why we need to collect your data

The Senior Coroner and Area Coroner must investigate all deaths which are violent or unnatural, where the cause of death is unknown, death while in custody or state detention. 

Your personal data is collected to enable us to administer the running of a Coroner's Office in order to carry out our statutory responsibilities under the different legislative frameworks.

In addition, we collect your personal data for the following purposes:

• service delivery
• statistical analysis and reporting
• safeguarding (future prevention of death)

Personal information

The categories of data that the Suffolk Coroner’s Service collects, processes, holds and shares include:

• personal information including name, date of birth, cause of death, family details, lifestyle and social circumstances, employment and education
• medical information
• financial information
• criminal offence information
• race or ethnic origin information
• religious information
• biometric information, for example DNA and fingerprints

The lawful basis for processing your information

The processing of your information is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in the Coroner.

How long will we keep your data for?

Matters reported to the Senior Coroner for Suffolk that are categorised as deaths due to natural causes (Form 100A and 100B and any ‘no further action’ cases) are held for 15 years, after which the paper and electronic data will be securely destroyed. 

Deaths which fall into these categories which have occurred from 1 January 2019 will be retained in electronic format only.

Cases which result in an inquest are held for 20 years, after which time they are transferred into the public archive, both in paper form and electronically.

From 14 March 2014 Inquests were recorded electronically in audio format. These will also be retained for 20 years before being transferred into the public archive

Who we share your data with and why

As inquests are publicly accessible, this data will be shared with anyone attending the proceedings, including the press.

Article 23 of the GDPR introduces exemptions from the regulations of GDPR for the purpose of the protection of judicial independence and proceedings.

During the course of undertaking their statutory duties, the Senior Coroner, Area Coroner or Assistant Coroners may share data with the following main organisations:

• Local authorities
• Registrars of births and deaths
• Law enforcement agencies
• Public agencies such as the NHS (for example, GPs), health organisations
• Other organisations which from time to time are involved with an investigation and who are required to provide evidence or assistance to the Coroner
• Individuals affected, appointed executor representative of the person whose personal data we are processing

COVID 19 – contact information for people who have attended the inquest court in person will be shared where appropriate for the purposes of the government contact, test and trace system.

Automated decision making

We do not use automated decision making.

Will my data be transferred abroad?

Yes, some witnesses and Properly Interested persons may be based abroad.  We will ensure your information is securely transferred if this happens.

Your rights

You have several rights regarding your personal data. These are:

Access to records

You can ask for copies of information we hold about you.

Correction of inaccurate information

If you think information we hold about you is inaccurate or incomplete you can ask for this to be corrected.  

Portability

You can ask us to provide any electronic data we may hold about you in a format that allows you to transfer it from one service to another.

The right to erasure (also known as the right to be forgotten)

You can ask for personal information we hold about you to be deleted or removed in some circumstances. For example, where we no longer need to use it.

We will not always be able to agree to the request but in those cases, we may at least be able to restrict the processing.

Objections

You can ask us to stop processing your information for certain purposes, such as direct marketing.   

However, this may delay or prevent us from being able to deliver a service, and we will not always be able to agree to your request, particularly where this relates to our public task functions.

Restrictions

You can ask us to restrict the processing of your data, even though we still hold it.

For example, where you are challenging the accuracy, or where we have to continue hold the data for legal reasons, even though you have objected.

Automated decision making and profiling

You are entitled to protection against damaging decisions being made about you due to automated processes based on digital or other information we hold, and without human intervention, except for some situations where this is authorised by law.

Further information

For more information about your rights, please contact:

Telephone: 0345 607 2040
Email: coroners.service@suffolk.gov.uk

Or:

The Judicial Data Protection Panel has responsibility for effective data protection compliance for the Judiciary (which includes Coroners).

The Panel is supported by the Judicial Office, an Office of the Ministry of Justice, which is made up of civil servants who provide support to the Judiciary of England and Wales.

The Panel can be contacted via the Judicial Office Data Privacy Officer at:

Email: JODataPrivacyOfficer@judiciary.uk

Reviewed 17 June 2022