NEW cremation laws which will ensure the Mortonhall baby ashes scandal never happens again are a “beautiful legacy” to the infants affected, charity leaders in Glasgow have said.

Ministers plan to change the law, introducing a legal definition of ashes and requiring authorities to keep details of both burials and cremations indefinitely.

The Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Bill will also ensure the details when these involve a stillborn baby or a pregnancy that has been lost are recorded.

The legislation has been brought forward in the aftermath of the Mortonhall baby ashes scandal when it emerged staff at the Edinburgh crematorium had secretly buried the ashes of babies for decades without their parents’ knowledge.

A national inquiry is underway to look at cases in other local authority areas across Scotland including Glasgow.

Linsay Bonar of Forget-Me-Not care and counselling, which has supported parents affected in Glasgow, said: “I think it’s incredibly positive and the the best thing about it is that is will ensure that this can never happen again.

“There is clarity and transparency, that has been missing for so long.

“I think it is a beautiful legacy to the children who are no longer with us and we are pleased it has been done in a timely fashion.”

Michelle McGhee and husband James, from Cardonald, have given evidence to the national inquiry, being led by Dame Eilish Angiolini.

Their stillborn son, James, was cremated at Craigton Crematorium but they were given no ashes and have no grave to visit, only a small plaque of remembrance.

She said: “Anything that prevents families from having to deal with the trauma that we have had to endure the past year can only be a good thing.

“By giving parents back all remains including coffin, clothes, as well as bones, this gives us peace of mind that all of our baby is back with us and not just throw away as rubbish or discarded in a bin somewhere.”

Public health minister Maureen Watt hailed the legislation as “an important step forward in bringing the governance of burials and cremations in this country into the 21st century.”