funeral-industry-news
Written 132 posts
Changes to Duration and Extension of Right of Burial
6th February 2026
The Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 (Commencement No. 6 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2024 commence sections 14 and 16 of the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 (“the 2016 Act”), which address the duration and extension of rights of burial. These sections will come into force on 1 March 2026. Section 14:…
Regulations For Hydrolysis Approved by The Scottish Parliament
5th February 2026
The Hydrolysis (Scotland) (No. 1) Regulations 2026 and the Hydrolysis (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 2026 were considered by the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament on 5 January. The Regulations were subsequently passed by a vote in the Scottish Parliament on 21 January 2026. Details about what the regulations do…
Updates to Burial and Cremation Application Forms and Registers
4th February 2026
The Scottish Government introduces Regulations, making changes to burial and cremation application forms and registers, under the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 (“the 2016 Act”). The Burial and Cremation (Applications and Registers) (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 will come into force on 2 March 2026. The Regulations amend the Cremation (Scotland) Regulations 2019…
Recruitment for Inspectors of Burial, Cremation and Funeral Directors
17th December 2025
Scottish Ministers are seeking to appoint up to three Inspectors to strengthen the regulatory framework for the funeral sector under the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016. The role involves conducting inspections, assessing compliance and promoting best practice among burial authorities, cremation authorities and funeral directors. The Scottish Parliament is currently considering the introduction of…
Scottish Government Introduces New Hydrolysis Regulations Under the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016
3rd December 2025
The Scottish Government laid the Hydrolysis (Scotland) (No. 1) Regulations 2026 and the Hydrolysis (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 2026 in the Scottish Parliament on 3 December 2025. The Regulations will enable hydrolysis to be offered as an option for people interested in alternatives to burial or cremation in Scotland. The No. 1 Regulations focus on…
Scottish Government Introduces New Regulations Under the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016
25th November 2025
The Scottish Government laid the Burial and Cremation (Applications and Registers) (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 in the Scottish Parliament on 24 November 2025. These Regulations amend the Cremation (Scotland) Regulations 2019 (“the Cremation Regulations”) and the Burial (Applications and Register) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 (“the Burial Applications Regulations”). This is partly in response to…
Updated Chief Medical Officer advice on medical certificates of cause of death (MCCD)
8th October 2025
This blog updates our blog of 1 Nov 2022 relating to booking registrar appointments and provides an update on the transfer of medical certificates of cause of death (MCCD) to registrars which is detailed on page 7 of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) guidance to doctors completing MCCDs. The CMO guidance advises doctors that MCCDs…
Funeral Sector Register Live
1st April 2025
The Funeral Sector Register is now live and can be accessed at the following website. Funeral Sector Register Scottish Ministers encourage all burial authorities, cremation authorities and funeral directors providing funeral services in Scotland to register. Further information about the Register is available on the website. If you have any questions or…
Funeral Sector Register
28th March 2025
The Funeral Sector Register (“the Register”) will go live on 1st April 2025, and will act as a single point of information about the funeral sector in Scotland. The Register is being introduced to support The Burial and Cremation (Inspection) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 which came into force on 1st March 2025, and grants powers to…
New Burial Application Forms Update
27th February 2025
The Burial (Applications and Register) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 and The Burial (Management) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 come into force on 1 March 2025. We have been made aware of a few areas for improvement on the burial application forms (formatting issues, typos etc.) which we have actioned where appropriate. The updated forms have been…