§ Mr. Butterfillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage amount of an average funeral cost is covered by the death grant.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe standard rate death grant covers between 5 and 9 per cent. of the cost of an average funeral.
§ Mr. Butterfillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish a table showing the cost of increasing the death grant to £50, £100, £150, £200, £250, £300, £350 and £400 (a) under present eligibility rules and (b) if the current restrictions to benefit were removed.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe information requested is given in the table.
408W
£ 8/1/2550 Death grant payable under present eligibility rules £ million
Death grant payable if current restrictions to benefit removed £ million
50 11 14 100 40 45 150 69 77 200 98 110 250 128 142 300 157 175 350 187 209 400 217 243
§ Mr. Butterfillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people would be eligible for the death grant if eligibility were restricted to those on supplementary benefit, family income supplement and housing benefit; and at what level the grant could then be paid for the same total annual expenditure.
§ Mr. WhitneyIt is estimated that some 240,000 people would qualify for death grant if eligibility were restricted to people responsible for funeral expenses who were receiving supplementary benefit, family income supplement or housing benefit. If expenditure were limited to the present total, a grant of around £70 could be paid to this number of beneficiaries.
§ Mr. Butterfillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will estimate the cost of raising the death grant to £300 for parents of children who die under the age of 16 years.
§ Mr. WhitneyIt is estimated that to pay a death grant of £300 in respect of all children who die under the age of 16 would cost an additional £3 million.
§ Mr. Butterfillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will estimate the cost of extending entitlement to full rate death grant to all men aged over 90 years and women aged over 85 years.
§ Mr. WhitneyTo pay a death grant of £30 in respect of deaths of men over age 90 and women over 85 would cost an extra £1 million.
§ Mr. Butterfillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish in the Official Report details of the categories of people who do not qualify for death grant; and whether he will estimate the number of people involved.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe following do not qualify for payment of a death grant:
- Men born before 5 July 1883
- Women born before 5 July 1888
- Stillborn babies
In June 1983 there were an estimated 1,500 men born before 5 July 1883 and 28,500 women born before 5 July 1888 living in England and Wales. Figures for Scotland are not available in this form. In 1983 (the latest year for which figures are available) there were around 3,600 stillbirths in England and Wales and 380 in Scotland.
§ Mr. Butterfillasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what figure his Department calculates as representing the average cost of a simple funeral, as referred to in paragraph 11 of the consultative document, "The Death Grant"; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyThe Department does not collect figures on funeral costs, but I understand that the current cost of a simple funeral ranges widely from £350 upwards.