Funeral Profession gets its own Parliamentary Group
On Tuesday 7th May, the National Association of Funeral Directors sponsored an All Party Parliamentary Funeral and Bereavement Group, which met at the House of Commons for their inaugural meeting.
The officers of the group were elected under the Chairmanship of Bill Olner and the aims and objectives were agreed. These were:
- To respond to and address the concerns of the public on matter of death and bereavement.
- To provide to Parliamentarians informed opinion on all matters relating to the Funeral Service.
- To raise public awareness of the contribution that the Funeral Service makes within British society.
- To raise within Parliament issues of concern to the Funeral Service.
The 21-strong group enjoys support across all the major parties and is represented in both houses of Parliament. Appointed Chairman, Bill Olner, MP for Nuneaton, underlined the importance of the group when he addressed the meeting.
He said: “Bereavement touches every one of us at some point and it is right that the issues and concerns which are raised from time to time have a forum for debate and action within the parliamentary system."
The NAFD were represented at the meeting by Alan Slater- Chief Executive Officer and Nigel Lymn-Rose- Member of National Executive for Legislation. Alan Slater told FSJ that he was delighted with this first meeting and was confident that this group would foster a better understanding of the funeral service and provide a voice within Parliament.
Alan said: “It is of vital importance that the real issues relating to the industry are understood, and that the sensationalist headlines which afflict our business from time to time do not hijack the debate. This group will help understanding all round and is just one of the initiatives that the NAFD is currently working on.”
Alan continued: “The NAFD is committed to helping raise the standards within the industry, and provide a powerful reassurance to the public that our Members deliver a high quality professional service. Developments I will be announcing in the coming weeks and months will reinforce this position”.