Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including funeral directors as Category 2 responders under the Civil Contingencies Act.

The Government is committed to undertaking a statutory review of the Civil Contingencies Act every five years. This was last undertaken in March 2017 which means we must complete a further review by 2022. As part of this, we will consider whether changes need to be made to the list of category 1 and 2 responders under the Act. In doing so, we will want to reflect carefully on lessons from recent events, including the part funeral directors and others have played in ensuring the dignified and effective management of the deceased during the Covid pandemic.