§ Mr. Wyn Robertsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he is satisfied with the present level of death grant; and what proportion of the average cost of a funeral it now represents compared with the year when it was last raised.
§ Mr. OrmeThe £30 death grant represents about 18 per cent. of the present average cost of a funeral, compared with 35 per cent. in 1967, the year when the grant was last raised. The grant therefore is a significant contribution towards meeting funeral costs. The Government keep the level of the grant under review, but any proposal to increase it has to be weighed against other competing social security priorities.
§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now allow death grants for those in the higher age groups at the full current level available to other persons; and what would be the annual cost of so doing.
§ Mr. OrmeI refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mr. Corbett) on 16th June 1977.—[Vol. 933, c.264-5.]
§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what would be 456W the annual cost of increasing the death grant to the £60 level proposed by Age Concern Wales, and the £108 which represents the minimum basic funeral costs in Wales in 1976.
§ Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will publish a table to show the actual value of the death grant for each period since 1948, together with its value in real terms.
§ Mr. OrmeOn the basis of the movement in the general index of retail prices up to September 1977—the latest month for which figures are available—the value, at constant September 1977 prices, of the maximum rate of death grant over the period requested is given in the following table:
Year (September) Maximum rate of Death Grant Value of constant September 1977 prices (£) (£) 1949 … 20 114.95 1950 … 20 112.73 1951 … 20 100.39 1952 … 20 94.06 1953 … 20 91.65 1954 … 20 89.54 1955 … 20 85.60 1956 … 20 81.98 1957 … 20 78.89 1958 (January*) … 25 96.79 1958 … 25 96.52 1959 … 25 96.25 1960 … 25 94.68 1961 … 25 90.59 1962 … 25 87.73 1963 … 25 86.20 1964 … 25 82.60 1965 … 25 78.80 1966 … 25 76.04 1967 … 25 74.95 1967 (October*) … 30 89.27 1968 … 30 84.94 1969 … 30 80.83 1970 … 30 75.51 1971 … 30 68.71 1972 … 30 64.21 1973 … 30 58.77 1974 … 30 50.19 1975 … 30 39.65 1976 … 30 34.69 1977 … 30 30.00