Letter: Why an 'ash cash form' costs 60 pounds

Sir: In her letter (11 March) Mrs McKenzie Foulds sought an excuse for the 'doctor's fee' of pounds 60 on her father's death certificate. It may be simply a matter of an apostrophe.

As executor for several members of my family over the years I've learnt that no fee is charged for a doctor's signature on the death certificate leading to burial but two are required by law for a cremation certificate, hence pounds 60 doctors' fee or pounds 30 each.

But that is not the end of it if the deceased was fitted with a pacemaker. My mother died recently and there was a further charge of pounds 44 for the GP to visit the undertaker and remove the device in case it exploded during cremation.

Yours faithfully,

ROBERT VINCENT

Andover

11 March