Liam Byrne (Birmingham, Hodge Hill) (Lab)

- Hansard -

I rise to present a petition on behalf of my constituents who are receiving second-class burial services. They often have to wait days on end for the bodies of their loved ones to be released. I particularly thank the Zia Ul Quran Mosque in St Saviours Road, as well as Councillors Ansar Ali Khan, Mohammed Idrees and Mariam Khan, along with Mohammed Rasib, for helping me to collect more than 1,500 signatures. The petition states:

The petition of residents of the Birmingham Hodge Hill constituency,

Declares that there are too often delays in allowing burials within 24 hours in Birmingham; further that other cities have much better facilities; further that Birmingham has one of Britain's biggest Muslim communities and therefore should have better services…

The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges

Birmingham City Council and the Government to work together

to improve burial services in Birmingham, including providing 24/7 access to coroners…health professionals

and registrars

access to MRI scanners to expedite post mortem procedures where necessary and a review of rising burial costs in Birmingham with a view to reducing charges.

Following is the full text of the petition:

[The petition of residents of the Birmingham Hodge Hill constituency,

Declares that there are too often delays in allowing burials within 24 hours in Birmingham; further that other cities have much better facilities; further that Birmingham has one of Britain's biggest Muslim communities and therefore should have better services; and further that a local petition on this matter was signed by 1,572 individuals.

The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to improve burial services in Birmingham, including providing 24/7 access to coroners and health professionals who can certify and register deaths, access to MRI scanners to expedite post mortem procedures where necessary and a review of rising burial costs in Birmingham with a view to reducing charges.

And the Petitioners remain, etc.]

[P001544]