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>
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>
<\/strong><\/p> <\/strong><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/220", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Webb"}
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, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thornbury and Yate"}
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, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-10-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-10-15T13:20:55.0955571Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-10-10", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Funeral Payments"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "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.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/410", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jon Trickett"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Hemsworth"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jon Trickett"}
], "uin" : "209863"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/91110", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/91110/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " <\/p> <\/p> The following table has been taken from the Social Fund Annual Report for 2012/13 which is the latest available published data and the Social Fund Annual Reports for 2011/12 and 2010/11.<\/p> <\/p> The table shows that the average clearance time for Funeral Payment awards was 14.76 working days against a target of 16 working days in 2012/13, 13.8 working days in 2011/12 and 14.5 working days in 2010/11.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> * denotes data unavailable<\/strong><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/220", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Webb"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thornbury and Yate"}
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, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-09-11", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-09-11T16:07:20.7121168Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-09-08", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Funeral Payments"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of funeral payment decisions were made within his Department's target time in each of the last three years.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4277", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck"}
}
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, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck"}
], "uin" : "208463"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/91117", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/91117/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The costs of producing a Social Fund Funeral Payment across DWP in 2013-14 were as follows:<\/p> <\/p> Total Cost £2.598m<\/p> Unit Cost £45.56<\/p> <\/p> This includes salary costs plus locally attributed non-staff costs.<\/p> <\/p> Source ABM 2013-14 Model (10/9/14).<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/220", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Webb"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thornbury and Yate"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-09-11T16:17:01.4495569Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-09-08", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Funeral Payments"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "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.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4277", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck"}
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, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck"}
], "uin" : "208465"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/78608", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/78608/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " 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>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/220", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Webb"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thornbury and Yate"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Steve Webb"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-07-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2014-07-22T11:27:29.4127205Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "29"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Work and Pensions"}
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, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-07-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Funeral Payments"}
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, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "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.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1411", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mark Lazarowicz"}
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, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/78609", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/78609/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " This information is not held in the format requested and can only be provided at disproportionate cost.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/220", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Webb"}
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, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Thornbury and Yate"}
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, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-09-01", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-07-16", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Funeral Payments"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "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.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1411", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mark Lazarowicz"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Edinburgh North and Leith"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Mark Lazarowicz"}
], "uin" : "206106"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/65812", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Work and Pensions"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/65812/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " There are no current plans to review the rate of funeral payments. However, for those who are eligible to be considered for a budgeting loan payment, the scope of this scheme has now been expanded to include funeral costs.<\/p> <\/strong><\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/220", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Steve Webb"}
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, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2014-07-08", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "date" : {"_value" : "2014-07-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Funeral Payments"}
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, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will review the rate for Social Fund funeral expenses payments.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1411", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mark Lazarowicz"}
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Funeral Payments<\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td> <\/td><\/tr> Average Actual Clearance Times (AACT) in working days<\/td> AACT Achieved<\/td> AACT Achieved<\/td> % Cleared within AACT Standard<\/td> % Cleared within AACT Standard plus 2 days<\/td> % Cleared within AACT Standard Plus 5 days<\/td><\/tr> 2012/13<\/td> 16<\/td> 14.76<\/td> 65.10%<\/td> 74.20%<\/td> 83.00%<\/td><\/tr> 2011/12<\/td> 16<\/td> 13.8<\/td> *<\/td> *<\/td> *<\/td><\/tr> 2010/11<\/td> 16<\/td> 14.5<\/td> *<\/td> *<\/td> *<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>