The bodies of those on the Nimrod were repatriated at Kinloss

The Ministry of Defence said it expected the hearing to take place later this year.

The process of inquiries into the deaths of British personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan is in the spotlight again.

The BBC has learned that the government has not provided further funds to the coroner investigating the cases.

This is despite pledges to help bereaved families by cutting the length of time they must wait for an inquest.

Last year a backlog of cases built up and more funding was given to the Oxfordshire coroner.

In April, Wiltshire took over all new cases but the county's service has not yet received any more funds.

BBC correspondent Angus Crawford said Wiltshire's coroner, its county council and its chief constable have all requested more funds.

But they have been told they will have to make their case at a meeting in the autumn.

Funding gap for UK death inquests

The MoD said a date for a coroner's inquiry into the deaths of 14 military personnel who were aboard the Nimrod, which went down near Kandahar, has still to be set.

This is because the results of an RAF board of inquiry have not yet been released.

Moray Nationalist MP, Angus Robertson, said delays in holding inquiries into military deaths overseas were "scandalous".

He said: "It is a bare minimum to expect speedy inquiries but the backlogs continue and requests for proper funding have been put off.

"Not only are coroner inquest proceedings in general taking too long, but the results of the RAF board of inquiry into the Nimrod tragedy have still to be released.

"This is holding back an inquest into the deaths of 14 military personnel who were aboard the Nimrod, which went down in near Kandahar in Afghanistan."

A fuel leak is thought to have been responsible for the Nimrod crash.

The RAF has insisted that Nimrod safety has never been compromised.

Major offensive

The 12 RAF personnel killed were Flt Lt Steven Johnson, Flt Lt Leigh Anthony Mitchelmore, Flt Lt Gareth Rodney Nicholas, Flt Lt Allan James Squires, Flt Lt Steven Swarbrick, Flt Sgt Gary Wayne Andrews, Flt Sgt Stephen Beattie, Flt Sgt Gerard Martin Bell and Flt Sgt Adrian Davies, Sgt Benjamin James Knight, Sgt John Joseph Langton and Sgt Gary Paul Quilliam.

L/Cpl Oliver Simon Dicketts from the Parachute Regiment and Royal Marine Joseph David Windall also perished.

The bodies of British military personnel who have been killed abroad are normally repatriated at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

However, there were calls for the Nimrod servicemen to be taken back to Kinloss instead.