Coronavirus Act 2020

Registration of deaths and still-births etc

18 Registration of deaths and still-births etc

(1) Part 1 of Schedule 13 contains temporary modifications of legislation relating to the registration of deaths and still-births in England and Wales, and related provision.

(2) Part 2 of Schedule 13 contains temporary modifications of legislation relating to the registration of deaths and still-births in Scotland, and related provision.

(3) Part 3 of Schedule 13 contains temporary modifications of legislation relating to the registration of deaths and still-births in Northern Ireland, and related provision.

19 Confirmatory medical certificate not required for cremations: England and Wales

(1) Regulation 16 of the Cremation (England and Wales) Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/2841) (which sets out preconditions for the cremation of the remains of a deceased person) has effect as if paragraph (1)(c)(i) did not require a confirmatory medical certificate to be given in accordance with regulation 17(2) of the Regulations.

(2) In relation to a case where regulation 16 has effect as mentioned in subsection (1), the Cremation (England and Wales) Regulations 2008 have effect with the following modifications.

(3) Regulation 2(1) (interpretation) has effect as if for the definition of “medical certificate” and “confirmatory medical certificate” there were substituted—

• ““medical certificate” is a reference to the certificate so named given in accordance with regulation 17(1);”.

(4) Regulation 12 (supplementary powers of medical referee) has effect as if sub-paragraph (a) were omitted.

(5) Regulation 14(2)(b)(i) (forms) has effect as if the words “the confirmatory medical certificate,” were omitted.

(6) Regulation 17 (medical certificate and confirmatory medical certificate) has effect as if—

(a) in the heading the words “and confirmatory medical certificate” were omitted, and

(b) paragraphs (2) to (4) were omitted.

(7) Regulation 22 (right to inspect medical certificate and confirmatory medical certificate) has effect as if—

(a) in the heading the words “and confirmatory medical certificate” were omitted,

(b) in paragraph (1)(a)(i) the words “and confirmatory medical certificate” were omitted,

(c) in paragraph (1)(a)(ii) for “those certificates” there were substituted “that certificate”,

(d) in paragraph (2) the words “and confirmatory medical certificate” were omitted and for “those certificates” there were substituted “that certificate”,

(e) in paragraph (3)(a) the words “and confirmatory medical certificate” were omitted, and

(f) in paragraph (3)(b) for “such a” there were substituted “the”.

(8) Regulation 23 (authorisation of cremation of the remains of a deceased person by medical referee) has effect as if—

(a) in paragraph (1)(d)(ii) for “certificates have” there were substituted “a certificate has”,

(b) in paragraph (2) the words “and confirmatory medical certificate” were omitted.

(9) Regulation 24(4)(b) (medical referee not satisfied about the cause of death of the deceased person) has effect as if the words “or confirmatory medical certificate” were omitted.

(10) Regulation 33(2)(k) (register kept by registrar) has effect as if the words “and confirmatory medical certificate” were omitted.

(11) At the end of a period for which this section has effect, it continues to apply in relation to the cremation of the remains of a person who died during that period but whose remains have not been cremated unless, at the end of that period, a medical certificate has not been completed in relation to the deceased person for the purposes of regulation 16(1)(c)(i) of the Cremation (England and Wales) Regulations 2008.

20 Review of cause of death certificates and cremations: Scotland

(1) Part 1 of Schedule 14 contains temporary modifications of legislation relating to the review of medical certificates of cause of death in Scotland, and related provision.

(2) Part 2 of Schedule 14 contains temporary modifications of legislation relating to cremation in Scotland, and related provision.

21 Modifications of requirements regarding medical certificates for cremations: Northern Ireland

(1) The Cremation (Belfast) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1961 (S.R. & O. (N.I.) 1961 No. 61) have effect with the following modifications.

(2) Regulation 10 (conditions to be met for cremations) has effect as if for paragraph (a) there were substituted—

“(a) a certificate in Form B in the Schedule has been given by a registered medical practitioner who can certify definitely as to the cause of death; or”.

(3) Regulation 12 (Medical Referee’s power to give certificates in Forms C and D) has effect as if the words “if he has personally investigated the cause of death to give a certificate in Form C, and” were omitted.

(4) In regulation 13 (duties of the Medical Referee)—

(a) paragraph (e) has effect as if the reference to “the medical certificates” did not include the confirmatory medical certificate (Form C);

(b) paragraph (f) has effect as if—

(i) the words “for which he had been seen and treated by a registered medical practitioner within twenty-eight days prior to his death” were omitted;

(ii) the reference to “the certificates” did not include the confirmatory medical certificate (Form C).

(5) Form A in the Schedule (application for cremation) has effect as if, at question 8(e), the words “for which he or she had been seen and treated by a registered medical practitioner within twenty-eight days prior to death” were omitted.

(6) Form B in the Schedule (certificate by registered medical practitioner) has effect as if—

(a) in the paragraph above question 1, the words “attended the deceased during his or her last illness and within twenty-eight days before death, and” were omitted;

(b) in question 7, at the beginning there were inserted “If you saw the deceased alive,”;

(c) in question 16(e), the words “for which he or she had been seen and treated by a registered medical practitioner within twenty-eight days prior to death” were omitted;

(d) in the certification after question 20, the words “for which he had been seen and treated by me within twenty-eight days prior to death” were omitted;

(e) in the Note at the end, for “the medical practitioner who is to give the confirmatory medical certificate on Form C” there were substituted “the Medical Referee”.

(7) At the end of a period for which this section has effect, it continues to apply in relation to the cremation of the remains of a person who died during that period but whose remains have not been cremated unless, at the end of that period, a certificate in Form B in the Schedule to the Cremation (Belfast) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1961 has not been completed in relation to the deceased person for the purposes of regulation 10(a) of those Regulations.