Seán Kenny (Dublin North East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I support the Cemetery Management Bill 2013 being proposed by Deputy Maloney and commend him on its introduction. I have been contacted by a number of businesses in my constituency that have been involved in the erection of headstones and monuments. They have outlined to me how the 1970 Act places them at an unfair disadvantage in respect of the provision of headstones and monuments and how many of them have been obliged to let people go recently. Deputy Maloney has outlined some of the companies that went out of business because of the operation of the 1970 Act, which confers an advantage on one particular business that is involved in this activity. I support the proposal in Deputy Maloney's Bill to provide a regulator who would regulate this area, which is common sense.

I also wish to refer to the question of the cost of burials, which has been raised by other Members, as it also is relevant to the subject matter of the Bill. It is well known that funeral costs in the city of Dublin are four or five times what they are throughout the rest of the country. This is a problem for families, particularly those with low incomes, who are obliged to borrow substantial sums of money to pay for funeral costs. In many cases, they must approach the HSE to get an exceptional needs payment to meet some of these costs. The question of the withdrawal of the bereavement grant has been raised but, in effect, that grant went directly to the funeral undertaker in most cases. There is a strong argument to drive down the cost of the funeral undertaking business within the city of Dublin. In the past, there was a number of firms of undertakers that were household names but they all have changed. There is an allied funeral undertaker company, I cannot recall its precise name, but there now is a company that encompasses the previous businesses that were providing funerals in Dublin. In some ways, it is almost like a cartel and this is a matter that must be looked into and is an issue a regulator could examine.

The Minister also mentioned the changes in the patterns of funerals in recent years, which is true. It was the custom - this is particularly noticeable in Dublin - that the remains were brought to the church the evening before and then there was a mass and burial the next morning. That is not happening, perhaps because the churches no longer have the clergymen to handle it, but in most cases, the remains stay in a funeral parlour overnight and then go to the church the next morning for a ceremony and burial. This is increasing the cost and it is noticeable that a number of undertakers have opened funeral parlours in areas where they never existed previously such as, for example, one in Kilbarrack and another in Edenmore. These funeral parlours are being used overnight whereas in the past, the remains would have been in a church and this is a matter that should be considered.

As has been stated, a burial is a traumatic occasion through which a family must go. There is an Irish saying, "He was buried decently", and people like to bury their relatives decently. People sometimes go overboard in this regard and one might see a number of limousines at a funeral leading one to wonder why it is necessary to go to such an extent. Perhaps this is an Irish characteristic and funerals are something we have celebrated the past. Perhaps they sometimes were over-celebrated but, nevertheless, this Bill addresses this issue of the cost, as well as the lack of competition, which is another matter. As some of my colleagues have asked me to share time, including Deputy Eric Byrne, I will conclude.

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