Dame Caroline Dinenage, Member of Parliament for Gosport, held a debate in Parliament on Monday highlighting systemic regulatory failures brought to light by the mistreatment of deceased by local funeral directors, Richard Elkin and Hayley Bell, who were each were sentenced to four years in jail in February.

She highlighted the pressing need for “a minimum standard of qualification, accreditation or licensing, and robust inspection” after similar cases at Legacies Independent in Hull and Florrie’s Army in Leeds. The lack of transparency in direct cremation services, which are growing in popularity, creates even more potential for funeral professionals to deny dignity in death.

Speaking at length about the horrors uncovered by the Gosport case Caroline said: “The case highlighted that the funeral sector is nothing better than a lawless Wild West”

She continued: “Elkin & Bell could only be brought to justice by some incredibly diligent work by Hampshire Police, the Crown Prosecution service and KC Jon Price, using offences including fraud, forgery and a piece of common law that dates back to Victorian times; the crime of preventing lawful and decent burial was dusted off from the days when it was used to convict grave robbers.

“Instead of what should have been possible: Sentencing the pair because they had wilfully neglected the bodies in their care and treated them as nothing more than money spinners.”

Other Members of Parliament also raised concerns that work being done to regulate funeral directors and standardise the death pathway would fall through the cracks of Government silos. Tessa Munt, Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Wells and Mendip Hills, pointed out that the Health and Social Care and Justice Departments seemed to be engaged in “a bit of a wrestling match” for who would take responsibility for the policy area.

Mark Sewards, Labour Member of Parliament for Leeds South West and Morley, raised the case of his constituents Cody and Liam Townend and Zoe Ward who were impacted by the neglect of their babies’ dead bodies at Florrie’s Army. He said, “I spoke to both main professional bodies, which cover 80% of the sector, and lots of businesses, including the biggest player in the sector. They are united in thinking that regulation is the answer to restoring public trust in the funeral sector.”

Meanwhile, former Conservative Justice Minister Simon Hoare said, “This is too vital and important a set of circumstances just to leave to an unregulated marketplace in continuation; it needs regulation and it needs it quickly.”

During the debate, Caroline called for a number of changes including:

• Mandatory qualifications, accreditation and licensing for funeral directors.
• A robust inspection regime with a regulator empowered to withdraw licences and sanction wrongdoers.
• A new criminal offence of mistreatment of a body after death, replacing reliance on Victorian common law.
• DBS checks for all funeral technicians, embalmers and anyone else involved in the death pathway

Responding to Caroline’s concerns, Health Minister Dr Zubir Ahmed MP said: “This is a complex and sensitive matter that requires careful and thoughtful consideration to safeguard the rights and dignity of those who have died, to support their bereaved families, and to ensure that any measures taken are proportionate, given that we are working with a number of small and medium-sized enterprises.

“The Government are continuing to consider all options to ensure that high standards are upheld consistently across the funeral sector, and that includes the possibility of introducing suitable and proportionate regulation for funeral directors.”

Speaking after the debate Caroline said: “Warm words from the Minister are not enough, the industry trade bodies, reputable funeral businesses and impacted families are united in calls for this sector to be better trained, regulated and inspected, otherwise the veil of suspicion falls over everyone, including the vast majority who operate with enormous care and professional integrity.  I was pleased to see the support from across the House for meaningful change to happen urgently.  We can’t wait for another heartbreaking scandal to hit the headlines before the Government act.”