Cross Party Group for Funerals and Bereavement

Annual Report and Financial Statement

2024

Membership of the group

Senedd members

· Mark Isherwood MS

· Mike Hedges MS

· Jane Dodds MS

· Russell George MS

· Darren Millar MS

· Llyr Gruffydd MS

· Altaf Hussain MS

External members

Membership of the Cross-Party Group encompasses a wide range of bereavement-focused organisations and representatives of the funeral profession. These include:

· National Association of Funeral Directors

· Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors

· Golden Charter

· Cardiff City Council

· Cruse Wales

· 2 Wish

· Marie Curie

· Churches together in Wales

· PR Blatchly & Son

· White Rose Funerals

· Tovey and Sons

· Gwilym Price

· Muslim Council for Wales

· O’Driscoll & Daughters

· The Woolen Cwtch Company

· Humanists UK

Office Holders

Mark Isherwood MS (Chair) – elected July 2023

Deborah Smith, Wordsmith Communication UK Limited (Secretary) – elected July 2023

Meetings held by the Group

The Cross-Party Group has met four times in the period from July 2023 to June 2024.

These meetings can be summarised as follows:

11 July 2023

Following the Annual General Meeting, which was held at the beginning of the meeting, the Group was due to receive a presentation from the Law Commission. However, circumstances prevented the Commission team from attending and so Mark Isherwood MS briefed the CPG members on the background to the planned session and current review, saying that the laws pertaining to burial and cremation in England and Wales have been long overdue for a review, as much has changed in respect of how we care for our dead in this country in recent decades.

There followed a discussion about the fragmented approach to oversight of the death management sector by UK government and an update on the second phase of the Fuller Independent Inquiry into care for deceased people, which had occurred earlier the same day. Members of the Group were encouraged to share their professional experience of care of the deceased with the Inquiry.

18 October 2023

In October 2023. Mark Isherwood MS, chair of the Cross-Party Group for Hospices and Palliative Care and the Cross-Party Group for Funerals and Bereavement, hosted the first joint meeting of the two groups.

Mark explained that the aim of the meeting was to bring together two groups with distinct objectives and audiences, but a shared connection on issues relating to end of life care – both for those who die and those who are closest to them, enabling the combined membership to share information and spark discussions that might lead to collaboration between the two Groups.

During the meeting, there were presentations on challenges facing Welsh hospices, the COVID Inquiry and the Welsh Government Phase 3 Palliative and End of Life Care Funding Review, the implications of the Fuller Inquiry into the care of deceased people and the What Matters Most visual storytelling project.

There were also discussions on the experiences of bereavement support in Wales and how it can be improved and the importance of supporting and educating young people about bereavement.

18 March 2024

The rearranged presentation from the Law Commission took place in March, covering the progress of its review of burial and cremation law in England and Wales.

The Commission explained that their work was split into three distinct strands: burial, cremation, and new funerary methods, and was looking at issues such as burial ground maintenance, grave reuse, registers of burial rights planning impact on the greenbelt, exhumation, and the possible introduction of new methods like alkaline hydrolysis, and human composting.

The Commission is also looking at the criteria that would need to be met in terms of public and environmental health and dignity of deceased people, were these to become regulated in England and Wales. The presentation attracted a lively debate among Group members who were encouraged to contribute to the planned public consultations.

The meeting also received an update on the Legacy Independent Funeral Directors police investigation and implications for the regulation of funeral directors in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, as well as information about the statutory implementation of Medical Examiners in England and Wales from September 2024.

26 June 2024

The Annual General Meeting was scheduled to be held, however it was agreed that the AGM would be rescheduled for a date in July as no other MS/AS were present in order to elect the Chair for the upcoming year.

The group received an update on the Legacy Independent Funeral Directors police investigation and the work that has gone on across the funeral sector since the last meeting in March, including the ongoing Local Authority visits to funeral directors in England. On the matter of regulation of funeral directors in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, the group heard how the upcoming General Election has meant that there has been a temporary pause in dialogue, although it is thought to be likely that the incoming Government may wish to harmonise standards across the UK, noting that the Scottish Statutory Code of Practice will be enforced from March 2025.

There was discussion of the introduction of baby loss certificates in England, and the merits of whether a similar scheme could be introduced in Wales.

An update was given on the matter of the reuse of graves, which had been explored at previous meetings. The group heard how the introduction of the Bishop’s Stortford Act, which is the first time that the reuse of graves has been permitted outside of London, may indicate the future direction of travel on this topic. Additionally, it was noted that Cardiff City Council is currently looking at land availability, and other local authorities will likely soon have to consider the availability of burial space in their areas. It was agreed that this local authority work could be presented at a future meeting.

Meetings with professional lobbyists, and voluntary or charitable organisations

During the period July 2023-June 2024 the Group met with, or invited presentations/updates from, the following organisations:

· The Law Commission

· Hospice UK

· Hospices Cymru

· 2Wish

· The National Association of Funeral Directors

· The Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors

Annual Financial Statement

Expenses

During the period July 2023 – June 2024 the following expenses have been incurred:

· £97.00 in tea/coffee services provided by Compass Group (on behalf of Ty Hywel), paid by and reimbursed to Wordsmith Communication UK Limited for the October 2023 meeting.

· £2,543.62 (including VAT) fees for Secretariat services, paid to Wordsmith Communication UK Limited and funded by the National Association of Funeral Directors.

· £97.20 in travel expenses for Deborah Smith, Wordsmith Communication UK Limited for the October 2023 meeting.

Benefits

Group secretariat and meeting costs are funded by the National Association of Funeral Directors.

Hospitality received

None to report.