Campaigners have won cross-party support for tighter regulation of the scandal-rocked funeral sector. There is alarm that people are able to conduct funeral ceremonies without any formal training, vetting or accountability. The Funeral Officiant Authority (FOA) wants clear professional standards introduced and the Government has now pledged to “properly regulate the funeral sector”.
The push comes as the sector reels at Hull-based funeral director Robert Bush being given a 20-year sentence in July for failing to bury or cremate people and giving grieving relatives the ashes of strangers. When police raided Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in March 2024, 35 bodies were found.
Cross-party support for regulation
The FOA’s campaign for the vetting of those taking funerals has won support across the party divide. Conservative MP Simon Hoare said: “It is now abundantly clear that the status quo of a non-regulated funeral and mortuary sector is untenable. As a Government minister I saw first hand the horror of the failures in Hull. Working with colleagues across the Commons we are pressing hard for speedy regulation. The Government is listening and the Prime Minister has said action is needed. So, the question is not whether but when. Speed is of the essence if public confidence is to be maintained.”
The FOA will compile a voluntary national register of “vetted officiants and celebrants”. Under its proposals, all officiants would be DBS-checked, meet minimum training and competency standards, be insured, and adhere to a formal complaints and accountability process.
MPs call for full regulation
Labour MP Mark Sewards pledged to press the Government for “full regulation of the funeral sector”. He said: “Bereaved families deserve to know that everyone involved in their loved ones funeral will act with care and professionalism.”
Conservative MP Louie French added: “Families should be able to have confidence that the person conducting a loved one's funeral is properly trained, vetted and accountable. The FOA’s work to raise standards and strengthen safeguards is an important step towards giving bereaved families the professionalism and reassurance they deserve at an incredibly difficult time.”
Tory MP Gareth Bacon backed the campaign, and warned of how people can be at risk in the midst of grief. He said: “This is a time of great vulnerability, and a celebrant enters a bereaved person’s home where they have sensitive information disclosed to them to enable them to understand the deceased person and their family and friends. This raises safeguarding issues.”
Government pledges action
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “There have been too many shocking cases of bereaved families failed by rogue funeral operators, causing unimaginable additional distress at an already difficult time.
“We are taking urgent action to protect families and ensure the deceased are treated with dignity and respect. Working across government, we will develop comprehensive proposals to drive up standards, strengthen oversight and properly regulate the funeral sector.”
