Action for Ashes campaign at Westminster

Glen Perkins of Shrewsbury, leader of the Action for Ashes appeal, has a meeting with Justice Minister Caroline Dineage.

He goes to Westminster on Thursday to discuss the issue. He will also present a petition – which so far has more than 44,000 signatures – to Downing Street calling for a nationwide investigation into why baby ashes were not returned to parents.

Mr Perkins, whose four-month-old daughter Olivia died in 2007, will be joined in London by bereaved families from around the country and Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski.

It comes after an independent report in to cremations at Emstrey Crematorium was published last month. Inquiry chairman David Jenkins ruled it would have been "very difficult" to return ashes, despite other crematoriums around the country being able to do so.

Mr Perkins said: "I hope that we will be able to thrash something out so that we can get some dignity for the babies. There are too many inconsistencies in the current cremation process.

"There needs to be far more transparency within the system. Everyone has heard the side of the inquiry and now it is our turn."

Mr Kawczynski said: "I felt it was extremely important to arrange for the families of those affected by these tragic baby ashes cases to meet with the Minister, they will be able to provide their own first-hand accounts of what happened to them, which will be a great assistance in my push to see real legislative change that will prevent this happening in future."

To sign the petition go to www.change.org/p/investigate-baby-ashes-scandal-across-the-uk