NAFD presents Lifetime Achievement award to Bill Olner MP

The National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) has honoured Bill Olner MP with a Lifetime Achievement award in recognition of his services to the funeral sector and the bereaved.

Mr Olner, who has chaired the All Party Parliamentary Funerals and Bereavement Group since it was established in 2002, was presented with the accolade by the Rt Hon Jack Straw MP, Secretary of State for Justice, at the All Party Parliamentary Funerals and Bereavement Group’s Christmas Lunch (2 December 2009).

NAFD Chief Executive Officer Alan Slater said: “It has been a real honour to work with Bill Olner on the issues that affect the funeral sector. He’s been an outstanding chairman of the All Party Group and his determination to ensure that the sector is understood and recognised in Westminster has led to a number of successes, notably direct payment of Social Fund payments to funeral directors and the prevention of VAT on cremations.

“Bill stands down at the next election and will be sorely missed. The Lifetime Achievement award expresses the NAFD’s heartfelt thanks for his support over the past eight years and our best wishes for the future.”

NAFD engages in debate with EU politicians Since approximately 85% of all UK policy originates from Brussels, the NAFD believes it is vital to engage with its politicians and in early December a delegation returned to the city to debate two key issues – the repatriation of human remains across EU borders and the impact of the Biocides Directive on the use of formaldehyde for embalming.

Alan Slater accompanied by Christopher Henley, the NAFD’s representative at the European Federation of Funeral Services, and former BIE president Adrian Haler held a series of meetings with Members of the European Parliament and Commission officials and with the leading Conservative MEP Malcolm Harbour, who has made a considerable effort to understand the issues that impact on the funeral sector.

“Mr Harbour has been a staunch ally for some time now and we were delighted when he offered to continue to work with the Association as we seek to ensure that the funeral sector is better understood and to fend off European policies that would have an adverse impact on the UK’s funeral directors,” said Alan Slater.

“Following his appointment as chairman of the influential Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee, Mr Harbour is especially is keen to draw attention to concerns over repatriation practices and asked the NAFD to prepare a dossier that examines the problems and anomalies faced by funeral directors when repatriating bodies from other EU countries.”

At its meeting with Ian Hudghton MEP, a member of the Scottish National Party in the European Parliament, the NAFD discussed the work of the Cross Party Group for Funerals and Bereavement in the Scottish Parliament. Mr Hudghton was pleased to learn how problems regarding the repatriation of human remains have affected funeral directors in Scotland and offered to support Scottish funeral directors when difficulties arose in the future.

When the NAFD delegation met with James Nicholson MEP, a member of the Ulster Unionist Party, it took the opportunity to explain the work of the All Party Assembly Group for Funerals and Bereavement in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Mr Nicholson showed great interest in the issues that were raised and is happy to work with the sector over the coming months to address its concerns.

Marta Andreasen MEP and Stuart Agnew MEP, both members of the UK Independence Party, not only expressed interest in what the NAFD had to say, but also indicated their willingness to take up key issues. The NAFD is keen to enlist the help of Ms Andreasen – a former auditor from the European Commission who notoriously refused to sign off their accounts because of concerns over potential fraud – in protecting UK funeral directors from unnecessary intervention at a European level and respected her frank examination of the issues which was followed by a request for further briefing. Mr Agnew was interested to hear of the problems funeral directors encounter when bodies are repatriated across EU borders and concerned about the impact of the Biocides Directive, requesting detailed data so that he could raise the issue with the Commission.

The meeting with Johanna Bernsel, the lead policy officer in the Biocides Regulations Implementation Unit at the European Commission’s Environment Department, was an opportunity to examine the latest developments on Biocides Regulations. As the delegation’s expert on the issue, Adrian Haler explained the impact the Regulations would have on embalming using formaldehyde and everyone was delighted when Ms Bernsel promised to consider the concerns he had raised.

Repatriation was the key topic of discussion with Lindsay Kirkman Gilbert, the Internal Markets policy advisor for the European Conservatives and Reformists Group – the new European Parliament grouping for the UK Conservative Party. She was keen to hear about the barriers that exist concerning the repatriation of human remains from other EU countries and the process which would enable funeral directors to reduce the delays and costs involved in bringing bodies back to the UK.

The NAFD delegation’s final meeting was with Diana Wallis MEP, Vice-President of the European Parliament and a member of the Committee on Legal Affairs, who was keen to follow up discussions held during the NAFD’s last visit to the European Parliament. The Committee on Legal Affairs co-operates with the Civil Liberties Committee on issues such as the repatriation of human remains, while Ms Wallis’s senior position within the European Parliament meant that the NAFD was able to express its concerns at the highest level. Ms Wallis offered to continue to examine the issue of the repatriation of human remains and the Biocides Directive.

“Our series of briefings with some highly influential MEPs and European Commission officials was very productive as they all intimated their willingness to work with us, both to highlight the difficulties faced by UK funeral directors and to make efforts to resolve major problems,” added Alan Slater.

“We will be working on drawing up dossiers and providing data to our political contacts in Brussels to ensure are well-briefed to take up matters on our behalf.”