HM Coroner for Norfolk Privacy Notice
What this document is for
HM Coroner for Norfolk (the Coroner) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).
Personal information directly relating to the deceased persons are not covered by the UK GDPR which applies only to identifiable living individuals.
In summary, this document (known as a privacy notice):
- Sets out how the Coroner promises to look after your personal information
- Describes how the Coroner collects, uses and shares your personal information and
- Tells you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you
Who we are
HM Senior Coroner is the lead data controller for your personal information. The Area Coroner and Assistant Coroners act as data controllers for the cases for which they have jurisdiction. You can find out more about who the coroners are on The Coroner's role webpage.
This means that the Senior Coroner, Area Coroner and Assistant Coroners are responsible for deciding how your personal information is “processed” (that is, collected, held, used and disclosed to third parties).
Your personal information may also be processed by the Coroner, police officers or other appointed investigators, carrying out activities in pursuit of the Coroner’s statutory powers and responsibilities.
The Coroner can be contacted at coroner@norfolk.gov.uk
The kind of information we collect and use about you
The Coroner collects and uses personal information of people associated with the deceased, including family (next of kin), legal representatives, and anyone else relevant to the Coroner’s work. This includes:
- Contact details
- Relationship to the deceased
- Date and place of birth (for surviving spouses)
- Witness statements (which may include your personal information)
The Coroner may also collect and use ‘special category’ information (such as health and race) and criminal offences information, when these types of information are relevant and necessary for the Coroner’s work.
What we use your personal information for
The work of the Coroner is undertaken as part of a judicial activity regarding the investigation of deaths to determine who the deceased was, when, where and how they died, and to record the registration particulars to enable death certification.
The Coroner also creates an audio recording of the hearings. Your information may be used as part of the hearing and recorded accordingly. Please note, that hearings are public
We may also use information in other ways compatible with the above.
The legal basis for processing your information
There must be a lawful basis for the Coroner to collect, store, use and disclose your personal information.
The Coroner has legal grounds to process this information because it is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest and the task or function has a clear basis in law.
These statutory powers and duties are:
- Coroners Act 1988
- Coroners Rules 1984
- Coroners and Justice Act 2009
- Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013
Who provides this information
We receive most of this information from you, but we may also obtain some information from:
- Medical Professionals (GPs, Hospitals)
- Police
- Registrar (registration office)
- Solicitors (when they are representing you)
Who we share your information with
Most information shared with a third party is about the deceased person. However, it may be possible to ‘work out’ your identification by piecing together information from the investigation.
At the conclusion of an investigation, next of kin information will be shared with the relevant Registration Service Superintendent and their staff. They will conclude the investigation process and support the death registration procedure.
The Coroner may also share information with relevant organisations, where appliable, including; Police; researchers; academics; safeguarding agencies; and suicide prevention services. Where possible the information will be anonymised but if that is not possible the Coroner will seek your agreement before doing so, unless doing so is not legal.
How we keep your information
The information is stored electronically, on the Coroner’s records management system, known as WPC Coroners. Information is also securely stored in other mediums, including email accounts and in paper files.
If we transfer your personal information to other countries
The Coroner does not routinely transfer your information to countries outside of the UK. However, in some circumstances information may be sent outside of the UK; for example, where the next of kin or relevant experts are based outside of the UK and information needs to be shared with them for the Coroner to complete their function.
How long we use your information for
The Coroner’s records must be retained for a minimum of 15 years from the completion of any investigation under Regulation 27 of The Coroners (Investigations) Regulations 2013. At the Coroner’s discretion records are currently retained locally for 20 years. After this period Court records are archived, archiving is currently provided by the Norfolk Record Office. The records are retained indefinitely; however they are not accessible to the public for 75 years.
Your rights under the UK GDPR
If we are using your information to carry out the function of the Coroner we are exempt from actioning your rights request. We will however respond and notify you of this exemption if you do make a request.
If you feel that we hold or use information about you in a non-judicial capacity, we will review the information and respond to your request appropriately taking into consideration your rights.
You generally have the following rights (subject to the above, and other, limitations):
- Your right to be informed about the processing of your personal information
- Your right to have your personal information corrected if it is inaccurate and to have incomplete personal information completed
- Your right to object to the processing of your personal data
- Your right to restrict processing of your personal information
- Your right to have your personal data erased (“the right to be forgotten”)
- The right to move, copy or transfer your personal information (“data portability”)
- Rights to be notified of, object to and challenge any automated decision made in respect of you, including profiling
- Your right to request access to your personal information and information about how the Coroner processes it
- Your right to withdraw any consent you have given for the processing of personal data at any time
If you want to exercise any of these rights, please contact us by email: coroner@norfolk.gov.uk
Questions or complaints
If you have any questions about this privacy notice or how we handle your personal information, you can write to coroner@norfolk.gov.uk
The Judicial Data Protection Panel has responsibility for effective data protection compliance for the Judiciary (which includes the Coroner).
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:
- They can be contacted by writing: 11th Floor Thomas Moore Building, Royal Courts of Justice, London WC2A 2LL
- They can be contacted by email: JODataPrivacyOfficer@judiciary.uk
Changes to this privacy notice
We keep this privacy notice under regular review and may amend this privacy notice at any time so please review it frequently. The date below will be amended each time this notice is updated.
Date of Notice
This notice was created in February 2023.