Approved training course for inquests

Background

The Government has introduced the Public Office (Accountability) Bill, known as the Hillsborough Law, into Parliament.

The Bill will introduce changes, including:

• a new professional and legal duty of candour on public officials to act with honesty and integrity at all times;
• a new criminal offence for misleading the public; and
• promoting parity of arms, including by providing non-means tested legal help and legally aided advocacy at inquests where a public authority is an interested person.

New inquest category of law 

The Legal Aid Agency has launchedannounced its intention to procure a new Inquest category of law in response to the introduction of the Bill. Further information on how to apply for this category can be found below.

Providers with a contract in this category will be able to undertake work on inquests.

Providers without the inquest contract will still be able to do this work where it falls in their category of law. For example, a mental health provider will be able to do work on an inquest about the death of an individual in mental health detention.

Approved training course for supervisors

OneWe have indicated that one of the requirements for the new Inquest Category of Law iswill be to employ a part-time equivalent supervisor in that Category. The supervisor iswill be required to meet a legal competence standard.

ThereOur areintention is to permit two different routes available to meet the legal competence standard:

• Experience in carrying out a certain number of inquest cases

• Attendance at an inquest training course that has been approved by the LAA.

Training Course Criteria

EarlierWe thisare year,seeking weviews issuedon athe surveycriteria whichwe askedshould use for viewsdeciding onwhether thea drafttraining criteriacourse forshould thebe approved trainingfor course.these Thesepurposes.

Draft surveyCriteria

The responsesdraft havecriteria nowfor beena reviewed,training andcourse thecan criteriabe havefound beenhere: finalised.

The Draft Criteria Inquest Approved Training Course Criteria (PDF, 12993 KB, 32 pages)

If outlinesyou thewould requirementslike ato courseprovide mustfeedback meeton tothe bedraft approvedcriteria, byplease complete the LAA.following survey: Inquest Training Course Survey

The survey will close on 12 August 2026.

Further information

FurtherThe informationLAA will beconsider publishedall onsurvey thisresponses pageto shortlyhelp settingus outevaluate howthe draft criteria.

Following the survey, the LAA will review the criteria and publish a final version online.

Once the final criteria are published, we will then invite training providers canto submit adetails of training programmecourses towhich we will be reviewed by the LAA for approval.

The LAA published Headline Intentions for the launch of the tender for the new inquest category of law on 28 July 2026.

A copy of the Headline Intentions can be found here: Introduction of Inquest Category of Law - GOV.UK

Further providesinformation further details on how to apply for the Inquestinquests Categorycategory of law.law will be found via the following link: Tenders for legal aid contracts - GOV.UK.