§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of state for the Environment if he will make a statement on his meeting on the re-use of graves and problems of cremation and burial with Reverend Dr. Peter Tupp, Lord Young of Dartington and other representatives of the National Funerals college. [15750]
§ Sir Paul BeresfordThe Secretary of State has not met representatives from the National Funerals college because policy responsibility for matters relating to burial and cremation rests with the Home Office. He did, however, meet the Rev. Dr. Peter Jupp on 5 February as part of a delegation representing the Churches' Group on Funeral Services at Cemeteries and Crematoria. The meeting was held to discuss issues relating to the potential sale of local authority crematoriums. The Secretary of State told the delegation that he hoped local authorities would consider the potential merits of transferring their crematoriums to the private sector and that he had provided time-limited financial measures to encourage authorities to review the position carefully. He confirmed, however, that these measures were enabling ones only,454W and that local authorities will have the discretion either to retain or sell their crematoriums, according to their own assessment of local needs and circumstances. The delegation said that, in its view, such decisions should take into account whether transfer to the private sector would put funeral directing businesses and crematoriums in common ownership and should have regard to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission Report on Service Corporation International (CM20880). The meeting agreed that officials from the Department and from the Churches' group should continue to liaise on issues relating to Department of the Environment's area of responsibility.