The Isle of Man’s funeral directors could face new regulation following a review by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

That’s according to the chair of the OFT Tim Glover, who responded to a question from Ramsey MHK Dr Alex Allinson during Tuesday’s Tynwald sitting regarding the possibility of new regulation in the sector.

Mr Glover confirmed that the OFT plans to carry out a regulatory compliance consultation with the island’s funeral directors later this year.

The review will involve funeral directors being contacted and visited to assess whether they comply with consumer protection laws, fair trading principles, and recognised industry best practice.

‘Consideration will be given to further actions appropriate to the outcomes,’ Mr Glover commented.

‘Questions may include new regulation, voluntary compliance with a fair-trading charter, or continued compliance with the current legislative requirements.

Dr Allinson said his question stemmed from concerns that differences between Isle of Man and UK rules may be limiting the availability of certain prepaid funeral plans on the island.

‘This isn’t because I think there is the need for draconian regulation - although we should start regulating every aspect of life or death on the Isle of Man,’ he said.

‘It has been drawn to my attention that some of the peculiarities of the Isle of Man stops funeral directors from offering the same thing as in the UK.’

He also asked the OFT to consider the Scottish Government’s voluntary code of practice for funeral directors, which promotes transparency and best practice, including the publication of fees.

Mr Glover confirmed that the Scottish model had already been discussed at a recent board meeting and would be examined as part of the review.

‘Yes, I can guarantee that we will be looking at that as a standard,’ he said.