Burial Provision in England and Wales

Lord Popat Excerpts

Wednesday 22nd April 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Levitt (Lab)]

We absolutely recognise the concerns, and I am grateful to the noble Lord for raising the matter. Local authorities’ independence from central government means that they are responsible for managing their resources in line with local priorities, which they are best placed to evaluate. That said, the Law Commission has recently issued its report on burial. As part of the Government’s response, we are keen to engage with a range of interested parties, including local authorities, because we want to understand how best to assist them with local provision and management of burial capacity for the future.

[Lord Popat (Con)]

My Lords, there are over a million Hindus and Sikhs living in this country who continue to face significant delays in securing a place at a crematorium, often long after their loved one has died. I have lobbied the previous Government on this issue, and I am pleased that the first ever Hindu crematorium will be opened by Anoopam Mission by the end of this year. However, this alone will not meet the demands of these communities, and we need greater provision both in London and Leicester. Can the Minister tell us what further steps the Government are taking to reduce waiting times for cremations and to ensure that families can carry out final rites within the time, as per the custom and practice?

[Baroness Levitt (Lab)]

Measures have been taken in recent years to update crematoria so that they better reflect and understand the needs of different cultures and faiths. To a certain extent, I must repeat my earlier Answer to the noble Lord, Lord Mohammed, that it is for local authorities to deal with this, because they decide what their priorities are, depending on the groups they represent locally. We are keen to engage closely with representatives from faith communities on all issues in relation to death management, particularly when we are considering our response to the Law Commission’s report.