Government announces infant cremations review

This followed an independent report for Shropshire Council in May which looked at why parents had not been given cremated babies’ ashes at the Emstrey Crematorium.
Dineage said:“Parents should not have to experience any additional grief like those affected by the issues in Emstrey have faced.”

The Shropshire report concluded that crematoria equipment at Emstrey was incapable of leaving recoverable ashes from babies and that while the issue was now a historic one, the importance of ashes recovery “does not yet seem to have been clearly and confidently communicated to or understood by funeral directors, crematorium users, or the public”.

Dineage said a separate review would examine the coroners’ out-of-hours service in England and Wales to make sure they were sensitive to the needs of those whose faith requires rapid burials.

“I am also continuing work to make sure bereaved people are at the very heart of the coroner system – it is paramount that the services are there to help the whole community,” she said.

The Department for Communities and Local Government is also to review the adequacy of crematoria generally.