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BURIAL OR CREMATION OF THE DEAD. In accordance with the provisions
or the National Assistance Act, 1948, a local authority is required to
take arrangements for the burial or cremation of the body of any person
in respect of whom no other suitable arrangements can be made.
Early in the year the Minister of Health reconsidered the
application cf Section 50 of the above Act, and it was decided that
Hospital Committees and Boards should arrange and pay for the burial
or cremation of patients dying in hospital under the following
circumstances 3:-
(a) Relatives not being traced;
(b) Relatives being traced, but who were not, immediately before
a patient's death, liable for his (or her) maintenance under
Section 42(1) of the National Assistance Act, 1948, and are
not willing to undertake the arrangement of burial or cremation;
and
(c) Relatives not being able to obtain a death grant under the
National Insurance Act, 1946, and unable to accept financial
responsibility for burial or cremation expenses.
It will be obvious therefore that the great majority of patients
dying in hospital will not be the responsibility of a local authority.
The latter, however, will have to deal with such cases as may be
referred to them by hospital authorities owing to the failure of a
liable relative to assume his responsibility, and, in addition, make
the necessary arrangements in respect of the bodies of persons dying
in their own hemes if it has proved impossible to discover any liable
relatives, Section 50(4) of the National. Assistance Act, 1948,
provides that ''an authority may recover from the estate of the deceased
person or from any person who for the purposes of this Act was liable
to maintain the deceased percon immediately before his (or her) death
expenses incurred".
During the year, twenty-five cases received the attention of the
Public Health Department, details of which are as follows
Adults and children over ten years of age 21
Children under one year of age 1
Still births 3