Inspector of Burial, Cremation and Funeral Directors: annual report 2025 to 2026
Annual report, written by Robert Swanson QPM, Senior Inspector of Burial, Cremation and Funeral Directors, providing a resume of duties undertaken in the role from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.
Duties performed by the Senior Inspector in reporting year
2. Throughout the past year the Senior Inspector has worked closely with all major stakeholders within the funeral industry and has assisted Scottish Government in their proposals to regulate the funeral sector under the Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Act 2016.
3. This has included being a member of various Working Groups and contributing to the development of policies and procedures for the administration of an inspection regime for the funeral sector.
4. In addition, the Senior Inspector has delivered presentations to the FBCA (The Federation of Burial and Cremation Authorities) Scottish Sub-Committee and is a member of the Scottish Mass Fatalities Strategic Group.
5. During the period of this report the Senior Inspector carried out visits and Inspections to a number of Crematoria, Burial Authorities and Funeral Directors, the majority of which related to enquiries or complaints, as referred to later in the report.
6. In October 2025, the Senior Inspector attended the opening of the newly built Crematorium in East Lothian making it the 35th Crematoria in Scotland.
Contact
Email: FuneralSectorRI@gov.scot