ANOTHER Scottish council has been urged to launch an independent review of the disposal of babies' ashes after reports that grieving parents were told there were no remains, only to find out ashes had been scattered without their knowledge.
Edinburgh launched an investigation after it emerged Mortonhall, a council-run crematorium, buried babies' remains without the consent of parents. Aberdeen City Council is also carrying out an audit into procedures at a crematorium.
Now one couple have spoken of how they were told by a funeral director there would be no ashes after the cremation of their daughter, who was stillborn in 2009. They have since discovered their baby's ashes were scattered at Linn Crematorium in Glasgow.
Nicola Sturgeon, the MSP for Glasgow Southside, called for an independent review by Glasgow City Council. She said: "I believe my constituents deserve answers to the legitimate questions they have – questions relating to the practice of telling bereaved parents there would be no ashes following cremation, even when it is now clear this was not always the case.
"Given the seriousness of the issues involved I believe Glasgow City Council should order an independent review."
Cairsty O'Rourke said she had signed a form agreeing for her daughter Maeve to be cremated but the back of the form which said the baby's ashes should be scattered had been signed by a Co-operative funeral director.
She said she had never been shown this side of the form and did not sign it. Colin Edgar, head of communications for Glasgow City Council, apologised to the family and said the local authority had had "no reason to believe the instruction we were given by the funeral director was anything other than the wishes of the parents".
He said they would now look at the possibility of changing the form in light of the cases.
A Co-operative Funeralcare spokesman said: "The instructions from the hospital made no request for the ashes to be returned and they were scattered at the Linn Crematorium When a client requests the return of ashes of a stillborn child we would consult the crematorium to see if this were possible."
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