MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
News Release (066) issued by The Government News Network on 5 June 2007
Plans to allow the
reuse of burial grounds have been given the go-ahead to provide
space for burials in the coming years.
The plans follow a public consultation that showed there is
widespread public support for reforming and modernising the burial system,
The plans are announced at the same time as survey shows that
there is approximately an average of 30 years left before space
runs out in burial grounds in England and Wales. In some urban
areas, the time is less. For example, in London the average is 12
years of useable space left.
The plans open the door to local authorities reusing graves, but
only where they are over 100 years old and the permission of the
family has been sought.
In April 2006 the Government published responses to the
consultation 'Burial law and policy in the 21st century'.
Notes to Editors
1. The Ministry of Justice today published 'Burial law and
policy in the 21st century: the way forward' and a report on
the burial grounds survey. Both are available from http://www.justice.gov.uk
2. On 7 April 2006 the DCA published the consultation
'Burial law and policy in the 21st century''. It
can be found at http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/2006.htm
3. Each year approximately 500,000 people die. While most of them
are cremated, around 150,000 people are buried.
END