Historical Stillbirth Burials and Cremations

Yvette Cooper Excerpts

Tuesday 13th October 2026 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Yvette Cooper)]

Working with my ministerial colleagues, the Under-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton (Jim McMahon) and the Under-Secretary of State for Justice, my hon. Friend the Member for Pontypridd (Alex Davies-Jones), I am making this statement on behalf of the Government.

Until the mid-1980s, some stillborn babies across the United Kingdom were buried or cremated without their parents’ involvement, leaving families without clear information about where their baby or relative was laid to rest. The Government recognise the lasting pain, uncertainty and grief this has caused. I pay tribute to the families who have shared deeply personal experiences and to the campaigners whose courage and persistence have brought them to national attention and called for greater recognition, transparency and support.

On behalf of the Government, I am deeply sorry for the distress caused by these historical practices, and for the additional pain caused where parents and relatives have been unable to find clear information about what happened to their baby.

Practices and standards have changed significantly since these cases occurred. Parents should be involved in decisions following the death of a baby. Since 2019, the Government have funded the costs of burial or cremation for stillborn babies and children below the age of 18 in England, with similar schemes in the devolved nations. We will also consider the Law Commission’s recent recommendations for the future legal framework for burial and cremation and respond in due course.

We are now taking further practical action to support families who are seeking answers. Within four weeks, all trusts must ensure a dedicated point of contact within their patient advice and liaison service, or an equivalent named service, to support families seeking answers. We are also disseminating guidance produced by Sands to all trusts on where records may be held, which organisations families can approach, and what support is available. The guidance is transparent about where records may be incomplete or unavailable, while supporting families to explore every reasonable avenue. We recognise how painful it may be when a precise resting place cannot be identified, and any surviving personal information must be handled with sensitivity and care.

Funeral sector representative organisations may also be able to offer specialist support to families seeking historic records.

We are also encouraging compassionate local action. Liverpool, Oldham and Wirral local councils already help families search available records and consider appropriate memorials. I thank them for this important work and encourage other councils and local organisations to consider what records and support they can make available, so that each family is treated with compassion and every inquiry is handled with sensitivity.

Our focus is on practical action that helps families: clear guidance, encouraging sensitive local support and remembrance, and considering whether further legal change is needed. We will continue to listen carefully to families and campaigners as this work progresses and communicate any next steps openly.

Above all, we recognise the babies who mattered deeply, and the families who continue to carry their loss. I offer a sincere apology on behalf of the Government to those families for the distress caused by historical practices, and for the pain that has followed where answers have not been available.

[HCWS374]