The government will be proposing a law to have a crematorium, Health Minister Chris Fearne said in Parliament on Tuesday.

"We take care of you from before you are born, with IVF laws, and after you die... with plans for a crematorium," Mr Fearne joked, though details are still scant.

Labour MP Rosianne Cutajar took to Twitter to say she was "excited and honoured" to spearhead the cremation bill.

"Individual freedom is a core part of my politics, and cremation is a reflection of this right," she said.

Malta currently has no crematoriums, although many have called for one as an alternative to traditional forms of burial. Plans to set up Malta’s first crematorium, which had been shelved following the change in government in 1998.

Read: Crematorium plans may be revived

However, the country does offer cremation services for pets. The Island Sanctuary announced it had acquired the permits needed to offer a cremation service earlier this year.

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