Written question asked by Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 16 July 2026. It was answered by Hamish Falconer (Labour) on Monday, 20 July 2026 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Organs: Post-mortems

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of delays in the return of retained organs on bereaved families of British nationals who die overseas.

Answer: In any given year, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office provides information and assistance in around 6,000 cases where a British person has died overseas. Every death is a personal tragedy, and our consular staff aim to provide practical, compassionate and timely support to those affected. We publish detailed country-specific guidance for Spain covering registering a death, the process of post-mortems and navigating local procedures. We work closely with Spanish authorities to help families navigate those processes. Where concerns are raised about systemic issues or significant delays affecting British families, we raise these with the relevant authorities and press them for improvements, including in Spain.

Secondary information