Provision of crematorium by councilN.I.
17.—(1) A council may provide and maintain a crematorium.
(2) No cremation shall be carried out in any crematorium provided under this Article until the cremation has been certified to the Department by the council to be complete and to be properly equipped for the purposes of cremations.
(3) The Department may make regulations with respect to crematoria provided under this Article as to—
(a)their maintenance and inspection;
(b)the cases in and the conditions under which cremations may take place;
(c)the disposition or interment of the ashes resulting from cremations;
(d)the forms of the notices, certificates and applications to be given or made before any cremation is permitted to take place;
(e)the registration of cremations;
(f)the notification of cremations to the Registrar General or to registrars of births and deaths;
(g)the fees that may be charged in respect of the issue of any medical certificate required under the regulations.
(4) Regulations under paragraph (3) shall be subject to negative resolution.
(5) A certified copy of an entry in any register of cremations kept under paragraph (3) purporting to be signed by an officer of the council authorised by the council for that purpose or under the seal of the council shall in any legal proceedings be evidence of the cremation to which it relates.
(6) A council may fix the charges or fees for or in connection with cremations in any crematorium provided by it and such charges or fees, and any other expenses properly incurred in or in connection with the cremation of a deceased person, shall be deemed to be part of the funeral expenses of that deceased person.
(7) Nothing in this Article shall authorise a council to create or permit a nuisance.
(8) Any person who—
(a)contravenes any regulations made under paragraph (3); or
(b)knowingly carries out or procures or takes part in the burning of any human remains otherwise than in accordance with such regulations and the provisions of this Article,
shall be guilty of an offence and liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.
(9) Any person who wilfully makes a false representation, or signs or utters any false certificate, with a view to procuring the cremation of any human remains in a crematorium provided under this Article shall be guilty of an offence and liable—
(a)on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum, or to both;
(b)on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to a fine of any amount, or to both.
(10) Without prejudice to Article 10 of the [1979 NI 19] Perjury (Northern Ireland) Order 1979, sections 36 and 37 of the [1861 c. 98] Forgery Act 1861 (destruction, falsification, etc. of registers of burials or copies thereof) shall, with the necessary modifications, apply to any register of cremations kept under paragraph (3).
(11) This Article (except paragraph (2)) shall apply to any crematorium maintained by a council immediately before the coming into operation of this Order as if it had been provided by the council under this Article.
(12) In this Article “crematorium” means a building fitted with appliances for the purpose of burning human remains, and includes everything incidental or ancillary thereto.