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173486

	registered interest
	date	13/01/2015
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Funeral Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 December 2014 to Question 216270, whether the average payment made by the Social Fund Funeral Payment scheme is intended to cover the whole cost of a simple, respectful, low-cost funeral; by what methodology he has assessed the total cost of such a funeral; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
	tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
	uin	220516
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment has from its creation, as the claim form and guidance makes clear, provided help towards the cost of funerals for eligible claimants. This includes those necessary costs of burial or cremation, which will be met in full and a significant contribution of up to £700 towards other costs.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 20/01/2015 12:14:04 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

78608

	registered interest
	date	16/07/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Funeral Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what average time is taken to process an application for funeral expenses from the Social Fund from the time an application is submitted to a decision being taken.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh North and Leith
	tabling member printed	Mark Lazarowicz
	uin	206104
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>The clearance time for Funeral Payments, as published in the 2012/13 Social Fund Annual report, is an average of 14.76 days, against a target of 16 days</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 22/07/2014 11:27:29 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	1411 label Biography information for Mark Lazarowicz

91117

	registered interest
	date	08/09/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Funeral Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) average and (b) total cost was of processing claims for Social Fund Funeral Payments in the last year.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	208465
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>The costs of producing a Social Fund Funeral Payment across DWP in 2013-14 were as follows:</p><p> </p><p>Total Cost £2.598m</p><p>Unit Cost £45.56</p><p> </p><p>This includes salary costs plus locally attributed non-staff costs.</p><p> </p><p>Source ABM 2013-14 Model (10/9/14).</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 11/09/2014 16:17:01 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck

78609

	registered interest
	date	16/07/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Funeral Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many current applications for funeral expenses from the Social Fund have been outstanding for longer than (a) 16 days, (b) 18 days and (c) 21 days.
	tabling member constituency	Edinburgh North and Leith
	tabling member printed	Mark Lazarowicz
	uin	206106
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/09/2014 answer text <p /> <p /> <p>This information is not held in the format requested and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 01/09/2014 15:09:36 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	1411 label Biography information for Mark Lazarowicz

100539

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Funeral Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications were made to the Social Fund to cover the cost of funerals in each year since 2010; and how many of those applications were rejected.
	tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Walton
	tabling member printed	Steve Rotheram
	uin	211468
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>From the latest data available, 305,840 applications have been made for Funeral Payments in Great Britain between January 2010 and September 2014, the latest data available. In the same period there have been 151,620 refusals.</p><p> </p><p>Table 1 below shows the number of applications and refusals for each year. Note that 2014 data only extends to September thus far.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>2014 (Jan-Sep)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Applications</p></td><td><p>66,780</p></td><td><p>70,990</p></td><td><p>66,390</p></td><td><p>62,200</p></td><td><p>39,470</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Refusals</p></td><td><p>33,350</p></td><td><p>36,330</p></td><td><p>34,540</p></td><td><p>29,200</p></td><td><p>18,190</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Notes</strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>1. These figures do not include applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System.</p><p> </p><p>2. The figures given are the number of applications and initial refusals in the given time period and not the number of people who made applications or received awards. An individual may make more than one application in a year. Information on the number of people who made applications and received awards is not available.</p><p>.</p><p>3. The refusal figures given are based on the initial decisions made on each case and may include cases where an award was later made on review.</p><p> </p><p>4. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 27/10/2014 13:57:49 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	4035 label Biography information for Steve Rotheram

92716

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Funeral Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to monitor the average costs of funerals; and what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of funeral payments to meet the average cost of a funeral.
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	uin	209862
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>My department does not collect data to monitor the average cost of funerals.</p><p> </p><p>The Social Fund Funeral Payment scheme provides help towards the necessary costs of a simple, respectful, low-cost funeral and is not intended to meet all costs that could be associated with the day. The average award made in 2012/13 was £1,225.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 16/10/2014 13:55:01 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

416623

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2015
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Funeral Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the budget for the Social Fund Funeral Payment scheme has been in each of the last five years.
	tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
	tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
	uin	8539
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payments are made to all applicants who satisfy the eligibility criteria. Expenditure in the last five years was as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Expenditure</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>£44.2m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>£44.7m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>£43.1m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>£46.7m</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>£46.5m</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><em>Source: DWP Policy, Budget and Management Information System</em></p> answering member constituency North Swindon answering member printed Justin Tomlinson question first answered 14/09/2015 14:31:36 answering member 4105 label Biography information for Justin Tomlinson
	tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman

92715

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Funeral Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the value of help for funeral costs is calculated; what factors those calculations take into account; and what account is taken in such calculations of the income of the next of kin.
	tabling member constituency	Hemsworth
	tabling member printed	Jon Trickett
	uin	209863
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/10/2014 answer text <p /> <p>The value of help for funeral costs is calculated to cover the necessary costs of: a new burial plot with all necessary burial fees or the cost of necessary cremation fees; reasonable cost of transportation of the body in the UK, for any part of the journey that is in excess of 50 miles, and the necessary cost of that part of the return journey that is over 50 miles for the transport of the coffin and bearers, plus 1 additional vehicle; the cost of documentation needed for the immediate release of assets of the deceased; and the necessary expenses of one return journey for the responsible person to arrange or attend the funeral. We also provide up to £700 for other funeral expenses.</p><p> </p><p>To be eligible for a Funeral Payment the person who is responsible for payment of the funeral bill must be the partner of the deceased, if there is one, or a close relative or friend of the deceased and be in receipt of certain income based benefits.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p><strong> </strong></p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 15/10/2014 13:20:55 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	410 label Biography information for Jon Trickett

171916

	registered interest
	date	05/01/2015
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Funeral Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the amount granted in Social Fund funeral payments has not risen for more than 10 years.
	tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Hall Green
	tabling member printed	Mr Roger Godsiff
	uin	219706
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/01/2015 answer text <p /> <p>We are conscious of the rise in burial and cremation fees. That is why the Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment covers specified necessary costs. As these have increased in time, so has that portion of the overall Social Fund Funeral Payment. As such, the Government has protected these payments. The Social Fund Funeral Payment scheme continues to provide help towards a simple, respectful, low-cost funeral and the average funeral expenses payment in 2002/03 was £929 rising in 2013/14 to £1,347.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>This Government has also extended the Social Fund Budgeting Loans scheme so that these are also available to those on income related benefits to help towards the costs relating to funeral expenses.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 12/01/2015 12:32:25 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	304 label Biography information for Mr Roger Godsiff

170139

	registered interest
	date	12/12/2014
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Funeral Payments
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2014 to Question 216782, what steps his Department is taking to improve the administration process for funeral payments.
	tabling member constituency	South Shields
	tabling member printed	Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck
	uin	218572
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/12/2014 answer text <p /> <p>We are currently taking steps to improve the scheme and will continue to monitor its effectiveness so that it continues to meet its aim of providing a contribution towards the cost of a funeral. For example staff are working with the Bereavement Service, the main conduit of initial applications, to ensure where possible they collect all the required evidence and information at the earliest possible juncture, smoothing and improving the process for claimants. On-going improvements such as this ensure claims are dealt with in a timely and consistent manner and are in the best interests of those needing the scheme’s support.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Steve Webb question first answered 16/12/2014 12:41:43 answering member 220 label Biography information for Steve Webb
	tabling member	4277 label Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck