FOI Request - Public Health Funerals

Request 101002684661

I am writing to request the following information under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act:

Questions 1-4 relate to the financial year 2019/20 between 1st April 2019 and 31st March 2020.

1. How many public health funerals were carried out in the financial year 2019/20?

2. What was the total cost of public health funerals to the Local Authority in the financial year 2019/20?

3. If you recovered funeral costs in the financial year 2019/20, what was the total amount that was recovered?

4. What was the most common reason for the council performing a public health funeral in 2019/20? (Choose one option below)
a. The deceased had no family
b. The deceased’s family were unable to pay for the funeral
c. The deceased’s family were unwilling to pay for the funeral

Questions 5-8 relate specifically for the time period between 1st March and 31st December 2020

5. How many public health funerals were carried out between 1st March and 31st December 2020?

6. What was the total cost of public health funerals to the Local Authority carried out between 1st March and 31st December 2020?

7. If you recovered funeral costs between 1st March and 31st December 2020, what was the total amount that was recovered?

8. What was the most common reason for the council performing a public health funeral between 1st March and 31st December 2020? (Choose one option below)
a. The deceased had no family
            b. The deceased’s family were unable to pay for the funeral
            c. The deceased’s family were unwilling to pay for the funeral

Questions 9-11 are general questions relating to your policies on public health funerals:

9. Are family members allowed to attend the public health funeral? Please answer Yes or No

10. If the funeral is a cremation funeral, are the ashes returned to the family? Please answer Yes or No

11. If you answered YES to 10, was there a cost to the family to have the ashes returned to them?

12. Have you seen a rise in demand for public health funerals in the last year (1st January to 31st December 2020) which you believe is as a result of COVID-19?
• Yes
• No
• Don’t know

Response 15-02-2021

1. to 8. 

9. Yes

10. Yes

11. No

12. No/Don't know - Number of public health funerals arranged by Moray Council each year has not changed too much and we do not know if Covid19 was a factor in any of the deaths.