Sinn Féin councillor Ciarán Beattie has welcomed the publication of an independent report into Belfast City Council’s handling of cremations in Roselawn Cemetery on June 30 last year.

Councillor Beattie said: 

“I welcome the publication of this independent report carried out by Peter Coll QC. 

“First and foremost, I want to acknowledge the grief and suffering of all the families involved and all of those who have lost loved ones during this pandemic. 

“In this report, Peter Coll has made it clear that there was no political interference at Roselawn Crematorium or in the operation of council’s policy at the facility and I welcome that. 

“There was a lot of misinformation put into the public domain which only added to the hurt and grief of all the families involved and that has been addressed in this report. 

“I understand and acknowledge that this was an extremely difficult issue for council staff and workers to deal with in the face of the unprecedented challenges presented by the pandemic and hopefully the publication of this report will address the concerns raised. 

“All of the families involved, including the Storey family, were put through more grief and trauma by the controversy created around this and I hope that with the publication of this report their questions will be answered and they can now grieve in peace.”