Statutory Rules of Northern Ireland
CORONERS
Made
8th February 2002
Coming into operation
11th February 2002
The Lord Chancellor in pursuance of section 36(1)(b) of the Coroners Act (Northern Ireland) 1959(1) and after consultation with the Lord Chief Justice, hereby makes the following Rules:
1. These Rules may be cited as the Coroners (Practice and Procedure) (Amendment) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2002 and shall come into operation on 11th February 2002.
2. The Coroners (Practice and Procedure) Rules (Northern Ireland) 1963(2) shall be amended by substituting for Rule 9 the following new Rule—
“9.—(1) No witness at an inquest shall be obliged to answer any question tending to incriminate himself or his spouse.
(2) Where it appears to the coroner that a witness has been asked such a question, the coroner shall inform the witness that he may refuse to answer.”.
Irvine of Lairg, C.
Dated 8th February 2002
(This note is not part of the Rules.)
These Rules amend the Coroners (Practice and Procedure) Rules (Northern Ireland) 1963 to substitute a new Rule 9 which will allow a person suspected or charged with causing death to be compellable as a witness at the inquest into the death (this had been precluded under the previous Rule 9(2)). The new Rule 9 provides that a witness at an inquest may decline to answer any question tending to incriminate himself or his spouse.
1959 c. 15 (N.I.) as modified by S.I. 1973/2163 and as amended by 1978 c. 23
S.R. & O. (N.I.) 1963 No. 199 to which the most recent relevant amendments were made by S.R. 1980 No. 444