of suspicious death.

For the House of Assembly on Friday backed a bill to strip Coroner's Courts of some of their current power -- and introduce other amendments to the system to improve justice.

Legislative Affairs Minister Lois Browne Evans said: "These proceedings don't satisfy the the requirements of natural justice.'' She explained Coroner's juries could identify the person considered to be to blame in murders, manslaughters and the killing of children.

And she added that naming a name meant prosecutors could skip committal proceedings -- where no case to answer arguements can be made -- and go straight to a Supreme Court trial.

Ms Browne Evans added that the pool of jurors for Coroner's Courts were less democratic and with fewer safeguards than their criminal counterparts.

The new Act -- which passed its third reading -- was welcomed by Shadow Legislative Affairs Minister John Barritt .

He said: "We're very pleased to support this -- I'm personally and professionally pleased to see these amendments to the Coroners' Act. We're amending an Act which is 50 years old.

And Mr. Barritt added that countries like England and Canada -- which share legal systems founded on the same rules as Bermuda -- had acted to cut the power of Coroner's juries some years ago.

Mr. Barritt added the new Act also increased the rights of interested parties to be represented at autopsies and inquests, which he also welcomed, while there were also "improvements in the area of jury selection''.

He admitted some people might question the removal of rights from Coroner's juries.

But he pointed out there are now legal routes not set up when the original Act was passed where negligence is involved in a death.

Mr. Barritt added, however, that more needed to be done to modernise the justice system in Bermuda.

He said: "I'm sure the Honourable Member appreciates this -- that in order to make a system work, you have got to have the resources.''