§ Mr. Macleanasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement on the result of his inquiries into suspicious deaths revealed in discrepancies in cremation certification reported to him by the British Medical Association.
§ Mr. Brittan:During the 12 months ended 31 March 1984 medical referees at crematoria completed a questionnaire about the cases coming before them and, in particular, any discrepancies between the two certificates completed by separate doctors in respect of each death. Of those cases where a discrepancy arose, the medical referees identified 18 which gave them cause for suspicion that death might have been criminally caused.
Eight of the discrepancies were found to arise solely from errors in reporting. A detailed check of the other 10 cases has established that the deaths occurred from natural causes.