1. What enquiries are generally conducted by the local authority to identify a found unidentified body?
As a local authority, our role for Public Health Funerals are to provide a cremation or burial for the person who has passed away, that have no means of providing their own funeral arrangements and/or no known next of kin or whose next of kin, relatives or friends are unable or unwilling to make the necessary arrangements for a funeral under The Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984. Reasonable enquiries are done by each individual officer for each case to identify a next of kin, however the enquiries for unidentified bodies are normally led by the Coroner and/or the local Police Authority.

2. How and where is information relating to public health funerals recorded and stored? (Please comment on both digital and physical recording/storing)
Each public health funeral is stored on a public health register that is accessible to members of the public on request. All information received is stored on the electronic databases for each authority.

3. Does the recorded information include the location of the bodies within cemeteries or crematoriums?
No.

4. Are unidentified bodies usually buried or cremated?
Unless there is a specification on request, the service would only use cremation as a form of disposal.

5. Are cases of unidentified bodies reviewed? If so, what does this involve and when?
None are reviewed.

6. What records and systems are cross-matched with information relating to cases of unidentified bodies?
None.

7. When is information relating to public health funerals deleted or destroyed?
We retain the information of the deceased for 10 years, whilst observing current Data Protection rules for personal details for living relatives.

8. How is information relating to public health funerals shared between individuals, departments, police forces, different agencies, and with the public?
See Q. 1 The Coroner & the local Police authority lead on all cases, however the individual Local Authority Officers will contact the Coroner and Police for relevant information if required.

9. Are there any differences in the above processes relating to unidentified body parts? If so, what are the differences?
Not Applicable.

10. Who has the overall responsibility for public health funerals within the local authority?
Public Protection Partnership are delegated to deliver on all public health funerals under section 46 of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984.

11. How can the management of information related to unidentified bodies be improved?
Not Applicable.

12. Is there a person within the local authority who would be willing to be contacted by the PhD researcher to answer further questions that will take approximately 30 minutes? If so, what are their contact details?
No.