Esther McVey is calling on government to introduce regulation of funeral directors in England.
It follows the high-profile case of Hull Funeral director Robert Bush who was jailed for 20 years after he failed to bury or cremate people and gave grieving families the ashes of strangers, and in at least one case, an animal. A police raid at the premises following a tip-off, found 35 bodies and more than a 100 sets of ashes.
Ms McVey said: “The atrocities committed by Bush must never be allowed to happen again. The regulatory black hole in the (funeral) sector made his actions possible.
“It is a matter of restoring trust in this important industry, we all expect our loved ones to be looked after with the same care and compassion in death as we would expect in life, and that is why I want to see immediate action on this.”
Ms McVey is part of a group of cross-party MPs who have signed an open letter to Health Secretary Yvette Cooper calling for a statutory regulator to be introduced to ensure a minimum standard of care, qualifications (needed to operate in the industry) and inspections.
In their letter, the MPs said: “The vast majority of funeral directors operate with integrity, compassion, and professionalism. Reputable businesses and trade bodies would actively welcome robust oversight to eliminate rogue operators, raise standards across the sector, and restore trust.
“Government must listen to victims, industry experts, and Parliamentarians by acting now to ensure that Robert Bush is the last such case of abuse in the funeral industry.”
In England, funeral directors can voluntarily join industry bodies that set standards for members, but there is no requirement to do so and the industry remains unregulated in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
