§ Lord Finsbergasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is their intention to sign the 1973 Council of Europe agreement on the transfer of corpses; and, if not, why not.
§ Baroness Chalker of WallaseyWe have no plans to sign the agreement at present, as it requires the nomination of a "competent authority of the State of departure" to issue laissez-passer for the corpses. There is no appropriate person or organisation who could easily act in this capacity in the UK. We already have a well established chain of responsibility for the disposal of the dead, from the doctor, to the Registrar of Deaths and, if required, to the Coroner. We therefore believe that if we signed up to the agreement it would lead to more bureaucracy, resulting in added delay and further distress to the bereaved families.