Government should close loophole which allows sale of human remains, says MP

Instagram, Etsy and Gumtree users could exploit a ineligible loophole to bargain and merchantability colonial-era quality remains, an MP fears.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy told the Commons she had heard cases of assemblage parts sold online and successful auction houses, including a quality thigh bony turned into a cane, a quality jawbone necklace and the varnished skull of a six-year-old.

At the despatch container for Prime Minister’s Questions, Ms Rayner agreed the signifier was “abhorrent” and committed to meetings with ministers astir “troubling cases”.

Opening Wednesday’s session, Ms Ribeiro-Addy said: “I precocious met with members of the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology (BABAO) who highlighted a loophole successful the Human Tissues Act which allows quality remains to beryllium auctioned, often disguised arsenic modified items oregon replicas.

“This is including a foetal skeleton posed nether a solid dome, a quality thigh bony turned into a cane, a quality jawbone necklace and the varnished skull of a six-year-old, often from indigenous communities successful Africa and Asia stolen during assemblage expeditions.”

The Human Tissues Act 2004 features a prohibition connected buying and selling quality material, but determination are immoderate exceptions and suppliers tin beryllium reimbursed for expenses connected with transporting, preparing, preserving oregon storing remains.

According to BABAO’s website, the organisation has a trading and merchantability of quality remains task unit which, among respective aims, looks astatine “the usage of quality remains successful societal media associated with sale, commercialized and collecting”.

I volition guarantee that a gathering is made with the due curate to sermon the troubling cases that she raises

Angela Rayner, Deputy Prime Minister

It has warned that without moderation, immoderate societal media platforms could go “ideal hosts for a wide assortment of illicit activity” with “no effort” made to artifact the aforesaid sellers from resurfacing connected different platforms.

Ms Ribeiro-Addy asked: “Does the Deputy Prime Minister hold that it is abhorrent for quality remains careless of their root oregon property to beryllium sold by auction houses and connected societal media sites similar Instagram, Facebook, eBay, Etsy and Gumtree?

“And volition the Government instrumentality enactment to extremity this depraved practice?”

Ms Rayner replied: “It’s perfectly horrifying to perceive the relationship of what (Ms Ribeiro-Addy) mentions and I perfectly hold that that’s abhorrent.

“And portion the Human Tissue Authority strictly regulates the nationalist show of quality remains, with fines oregon imprisonment for breaches, it does not screen income oregon purchases. However, I volition guarantee that a gathering is made with the due curate to sermon the troubling cases that she raises.”