funeral-industry-news

Written 121 posts

Update on commencement of regulations on 1 March 2025 and associated work

14th February 2025

Update on availability of Website – Burial and Cremation (Inspection)(Scotland) Regulations 2025 The Burial and Cremation (Inspection)(Scotland) regulations will come into force on 1 March 2025. These regulations provide Inspectors with the powers to undertake inspections to ensure compliance with the relevant legislation and requirements and will incorporate a range of functions: providing a report…

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New Burial Application Forms Published on the Scottish Government Website

11th February 2025

The Scottish Government has published new burial application forms, made under The Burial (Applications and Register) (Scotland) Regulations 2024 (“the Applications and Register Regulations”).   These forms should be used for all applications submitted from the start of business on 1 March 2025. The new forms should not be submitted before this date. Up until the…

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Regulations For Burial and Inspection Approved by The Scottish Parliament

16th January 2025

Regulations For Burial and Inspection Approved by The Scottish Parliament   The Burial (Management) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 and the Burial and Cremation (Inspection) (Scotland) Regulations 2025 were approved by the Scottish Parliament on 8 January 2025. These regulations will come into force on 1 March 2025, at the same time as: Funeral Director Code of…

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Scottish Government Introduces New Regulations Under the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016

15th November 2024

The Scottish Government yesterday (14 November 2024) laid four key sets of regulations before the Scottish Parliament, marking a significant step in the implementation of the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016 (“the 2016 Act”).   If approved, these regulations will come into force on 1 March 2025, aligning with the introduction of the Funeral…

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Update: Cross-Border Repatriation to Scotland – 2024 Amendment Regulations

15th October 2024

Our blog of 6 September 2024, about changes to the medical examiner system in England and Wales, included a reminder that any death in another UK nation must be registered before a burial or cremation can take place in Scotland. The documents required for this are set out in the Registration of Births, Deaths and Marriages…

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HSE: Survey on the use of chemicals when handling the deceased

14th October 2024

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are conducting a public survey around the use of biocidal chemicals when handling the deceased and would welcome anyone whose work involves using chemicals such as embalming fluids and disinfectants when handling the deceased and/or body parts and tissue samples to participate. HSE are particularly looking for feedback on…

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Changes to Funeral Support Benefits

18th September 2024

Forthcoming regulation changes to further support bereaved people   Legislation laid in the Scottish Parliament will make improvements to the way Funeral Support Payment is delivered.   The proposed changes include providing assistance for funerals abroad in exceptional circumstances, refining the approach to deducting funds from the deceased’s estate and introducing more flexibility for funerals…

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Repatriation to Scotland: Changes to the medical requirements in England and Wales – Cremation Application Forms

6th September 2024

Repatriation For any burial or cremation in Scotland, a death must first be registered in accordance with the Births, Deaths and Marriages (Scotland) Act 1965. Such requirement in Scotland will not change following the introduction of the new medical examiner system in England and Wales.  The legal requirements for Scottish purposes are set out in…

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Guidance for Storage of the deceased by Funeral Directors prior to the issue of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death

15th August 2024

The Deaths in the Community Working Group have released guidance for funeral directors outlining what to do when caring for the deceased prior to the provision of the Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD) by a registered medical practitioner. There may be a delay for a number of reasons such as public holiday long…

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Inspection of Burial, Cremation and Funeral Directors Consultation Analysis Report

15th July 2024

As you may know the Scottish Government held a collection of public consultations between 25 August – 17 November 2023 on proposals for different aspects of regulation of the funeral sector. The consultation analysis report for the inspection of burial, cremation and funeral directors is now available to view online. More information and links to…

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