Funeral directors told to make changes to ensure public trust

Funeral directors need to undergo voluntary inspections to ensure the public trusts them, ministers have heard.

Labor MP Emma Hardy has called on the government to introduce a funeral director regulator following a major police investigation into her Hersey and Hessle constituency.

Attorney-General Mike Freer said he would soon meet with the funeral company trade body to discuss voluntary regulation, telling MPs he believed a “comprehensive review” of the law around cremation was needed.

The group is currently under investigation after police discovered 35 bodies and suspected human ashes at the scene in Hessle Road, Hull.

Humberside Police said more than 1,500 calls have been made to police by former customers of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors since the investigation began.

Police previously arrested a 46-year-old man and a 23-year-old woman on suspicion of obstructing a lawful and dignified burial, fraud by false representation and fraud by abuse of power.

The pair have been bailed pending further enquiries.

Ms Hardy told the House of Commons she was “fully committed to regulating the industry and never allowing this appalling and heartbreaking situation to be repeated again”.

She added: “I wonder if (the minister) can say a little more about the timeframe and whether he agrees that, in the meantime, until statutory regulation is in place, we can encourage all funeral directors to comply with the voluntary regulation that is stipulated but by An industry body to come in and do whatever it takes to reassure the public that not all funeral directors are in the dire situation our constituency is experiencing?”

Justice Minister Freer said he was working with Communities Minister Simon Hall on an initial response to the incident in Hull.

He added: “We will start to consult evidence on the direction of the regulation in the coming months. Of course, what exactly that direction will be is subject to public consultation.

“I am meeting with the two main trade bodies this afternoon to see how they can assist with voluntary inspections to ensure that what we have seen has been addressed from this horrific incident – which no one thought could have happened. It’s quite horrific – and we get this right so that people have confidence that the vast majority of funeral directors are completely respectable and treat the deceased with the respect and care expected of them.”

Mr Freer earlier told the Commons that cremation regulations had been “updated where necessary” in the past, adding: “In light of developments since then I think a more comprehensive review is needed and that is why the Law Commission agreed to consider on the laws governing cremation as part of its Burial, Cremation and New Burial Methods project.

“This has already begun and we await the results of their investigation with interest.”