That’s the trouble with bureaucracy. It creeps up behind you and catches you by surprise. The first you know about it is when tasks that used to take a week or two suddenly can’t be completed in less than four.
So it is with funerals. In 2019 the rules, which had been in place for over fifty years, were changed so that every death in England and Wales had to be “scrutinised” by two doctors rather than one. The reasons were entirely worthy. No more Harold Shipmans. An extra safeguard. Help with future research. Etc. You get the picture.
For five years, no one noticed the difference. That was because they were advisory, not statutory. So, unnoticed, they were given statutory effect last September. It is now against the law not to follow the guidance. “It’ll make no difference now,” went the argument, “the funeral business is already doing it anyway”. Except it wasn’t. Suddenly it all became much more bureaucratised. There were more forms, liabilities, insurance policies and (inevitably) fees. So now it is impossible to get your loved one buried or cremated in less than 28 days.
Worse, no one really noticed the impact of the change until MPs started getting complaints about it from their constituents. This led simply to a brief article in The House Magazine, the MPs’ own publication, saying there seemed to be a bit of a problem. “Yes, sorry about that” said the Government “but it’s a bit late to do anything about it now.”
The mention of the “two doctors” safeguard inevitably made me think of the same rule that is going to be applied to Assisted Dying. The Bill itself has many opponents. But supporters and objectors alike are unified in wanting the “two doctors” safeguard if the Bill proceeds through Parliament. It is clearly a good thing. What could be wrong with it ? However, no one has the foggiest idea about how much it’s going to cost or who will pay.
