A LOCAL authority has launched an independent audit into the operations of a crematorium following revelations that the ashes of dead babies were not returned to parents.
New figures show 24 babies were cremated at Aberdeen Crematorium in the last five years, but on no occasions were ashes given to their families.
The Herald revealed in January that grieving parents faced a "postcode lottery" with some council-run crematoriums in Scotland routinely returning the ashes of stillborn babies and infants who had died at just a few days old, while others rarely did so.
Valerie Watts, chief executive of Aberdeen City Council, has announced an audit is under way into procedures at Hazlehead Crematorium, "for the sake of openness and transparency".
She said she had confidence her staff had demonstrated the "utmost professionalism".
It comes in the wake of the Mortonhall scandal in Edinburgh where a council-run crematorium buried babies' remains without the consent of parents.
Former Lord Advocate Dame Elish Angiolini is leading an investigation into its practices.
Council-run crematoriums across Scotland were asked in a freedom of information request whether ashes were returned to the parents of stillborn babies and infants up to the age of six months. Some of the replies related to babies who were as old as one year when they died.
Aberdeen admitted it does not return ashes to parents for babies up to 18 months of age.
Ms Watts said: "I can fully understand the deep concern which many people will have felt following the publicity surrounding the issues at Mortonhall Crematorium in Edinburgh and the questions which have been raised about procedures at other crematoriums.
"I am confident our own dedicated crematorium staff have acted with the utmost professionalism at all times in dealing with the deceased and their families. I am aware, however, that people clearly need to have absolute confidence we are dealing with these matters in a thorough and sensitive manner.
"I have, therefore, instructed that a precautionary independent audit should be carried out into the operation at Hazlehead Crematorium for the sake of openness and transparency.
"The audit is in progress and the results will be made public in due course."
In Fife, the council-run crematoriums in Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy returned ashes to the families in just over half of cases – 45 out of 87 cremations of babies up to one year old.
South Ayrshire, Falkirk, Highland and South Lanarkshire said that in all cases of babies being cremated, their ashes were either returned to the parents or scattered with their consent.
Patrick McGuire, a lawyer representing some of the Mortonhall families, claimed the investigation shows the situation there is "simply the tip of the iceberg".
He said parents of young babies cremated at Mortonhall were led to believe there would be nothing left to scatter.
He added: "The law says in clear terms they must return ashes. Ashes means everything that's left in the chamber. It's that simple. The law is clear.
"And it goes back to the fact that these families, at their lowest ebb, in their darkest hour, trusted what they were told.
"They now look back and think, 'Why didn't we ask? Why did we trust these people?' And they are absolutely right. Their trust was utterly misplaced.
"It's perfectly clear to me that what we are facing at the moment is simply the tip of the iceberg of a scandal that will run throughout all of Scotland."
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