Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to implement the recommendations of the review commissioned by his Department in 2018 into Tottenham Park Cemetery; and what recent assessment he has made of the need to regulate private cemeteries.

We continue to work closely with all relevant stakeholders in light of the findings of the 2018 statutory inspection of Tottenham Park Cemetery.

While private burial grounds are not covered by the same regulations and guidance that govern local authority burial grounds, MoJ anticipates that private cemeteries will adhere to those standards.

The Law Commission’s current Programme of Law Reform includes a project to consider modernising and streamlining the law governing the disposal of human remains, with a view to putting forward a legal framework for the future. We will ensure that issues around the management of private cemeteries are brought to the Law Commission’s attention in this context.