Petition · past parliament · Department of Health and Social Care

Set time limits for funerals in England

Closed 43 signatures

What the petition asks

I am asking for a law to be introduced setting a time limit on how long the deceased may be held without a funeral or being otherwise respectfully cremated or buried.
Currently there is no law on how long a deceased person may be held by a funeral home, before a funeral must be held.

This can mean that funerals are not held for months after a person deceased. This is a particular issue when there are family disputes about holding a funeral.

We believe this is disrespectful to the deceased, who deserve to have their funeral. This can be extremely upsetting to friends and family of the deceased.

Timeline

5 Apr 2023 Petition opened for signatures
5 Oct 2023 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 43
Status Closed
Department Department of Health and Social Care
Opened 5 Apr 2023
Closed 5 Oct 2023

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.