§ Mr. LeightonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received on private cemeteries.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleySince 1 April, besides five questions from hon. Members, we have received 46 letters from Members and 45 direct from members of the public most of which related to the three former Westminster cemeteries sold into private ownership. These included the following matters: calls for a full public inquiry, for the Secretary of State to order an extraordinary audit of the council's accounts, for him to implement a compulsory purchase order for the cemeteries, and for a licensing system for private cemetery operators, complaints about maintenance, and concern about development of unused land in the cemeteries. In addition, the Department handled 48 applications for the closure of churchyards to further burials.