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MPs Urge Action After Funeral Director Convicted
22 Aug
Summary
- Fifty MPs demanded government regulation of the funeral industry.
- A former funeral director was jailed for 20 years for 67 offences.
- England and Wales currently lack funeral sector regulation standards.
A significant group of fifty MPs from various parties has formally requested urgent government intervention to establish regulations within the funeral industry. This action follows the conviction of Robert Bush, a former funeral director in Hull, who was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in July for 67 offenses. His crimes notably included the denial of a decent burial to 30 individuals.
The cross-party letter, organized by MPs Dame Caroline Dinenage and Mark Sewards, highlighted a "regulatory black hole" as the enabling factor for Bush's atrocities. The signatories expressed collective outrage and warned of inevitable future cases of severe negligence and abuse without regulatory intervention.
Currently, England and Wales operate without any specific regulation for the funeral sector. This means there are no minimum standards for the care of the deceased or the support offered to bereaved families. The government has reiterated its commitment to bringing forward plans aimed at ensuring dignity for the deceased and implementing proper regulation across the industry.
