Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to review burial and cremation law.

The Ministry of Justice keeps in close touch with all key people and organisations in the burial and cremation industry to make sure that good practice is shared.

The Government appreciates that burial and cremation law and practice are of particular concern to those affected by previous practices at Emstrey Crematorium in Shrewsbury. We have the greatest sympathy for the parents in these cases and await the report of the independent inquiry into infant cremations at Emstrey, commissioned by Shropshire County Council, which is due to be published in April 2015.

When the Department of Health implements its death certification reforms, the Ministry of Justice will also amend its cremation regulations to reflect the changes to cremation authorisation processes. Planning for these reforms will present an opportunity for consultation and to consider the recommendations both of the Shropshire inquiry and the 2014 Infant Cremation Commission in Scotland.