Burial, cremation, hydrolysis and death certification

We are responsible for legislation and policy covering burial, cremation, hydrolysis, anatomy, hospital post-mortems and death certification matters in Scotland. We are also responsible for developing policy concerning funeral director businesses in Scotland.

We work with a wide range of partners across Scotland to deliver positive policy change in these interconnected areas. These include local authorities, NHS boards, private businesses, representative trade bodies, the Death Certification Review Service (DCRS), National Records of Scotland, and university anatomy departments.

We work closely with the following ministerial appointed, independent Inspectors:

HM Inspector of Anatomy
Inspectors of Burial, Cremation, Hydrolysis and Funeral Directors

Cremation

Cremation is the most common type of funeral in Scotland. Crematoriums are located across Scotland, and are run by both local authorities and private companies. The sector is governed by laws that set out how cremations are applied for, how crematoriums operate, and how records are kept.

Hydrolysis

Hydrolysis is an emerging alternative to traditional burial or cremation, but it is not yet widely available in Scotland. Any new facility will be governed by laws similar to those for cremation.

Burial

Burial is a long‑established and widely used funeral practice in Scotland, although it is less common than cremation. Burials take place in burial grounds, most of which are run by local authorities, with some operated by private or faith organisations. Burial is governed by laws that set out how burials are arranged, how burial grounds are managed, and how records are maintained.

Anatomy

We licence five universities and two royal colleges in Scotland to hold bodies donated for medical science and teaching. These anatomy departments are regulatedunder the Anatomy Act 1984, as amended by the Human Tissue (Scotland) Act 2006 and inspected by HM Inspector of Anatomy. Guidance is available on donating your body to medical science in Scotland.

Regulation of funeral directors

The Funeral Director Code of Practice applies to all funeral directors carrying out the functions of a funeral director in Scotland regardless of where their business is based.

Funeral sector register and Inspectors of burial, cremation, hydrolysis and funeral directors

We have introduced the Funeral Sector Register. This is a single source of information about the funeral sector in Scotland. It supports regulations that give Funeral Sector Inspectors the power to carry out inspections and check that legal requirements are being followed.

Inspectors carry out inspections, check compliance with the law, and encourage good practice among burial authorities, cremation authorities, hydrolysis authorities and funeral directors.

Queries about the register or complaints against funeral sector businesses can be e-mailed to funeralsectorri@gov.scot.

Death certification

We are responsible for the legislation and overarching policy governing the Death Certification Review Service (DCRS). This service sits within Healthcare Improvement Scotland who randomly review around 12% of all death certificates issued in Scotland for their accuracy. DCRS also carry out additional Interested Person Reviews.

They are also responsible for the reviewing of all documentation during the process of repatriation of a body to Scotland.

We published our statutory guidance on death certification in 2015.

We have produced the following guidance for doctors and medical professionals on death certification:

Further guidance on death certification is available on the NHS Inform website.

Further contact information for medical professionals on death certification is available on the Healthcare Improvement Scotland website.

Information