§ 50. Mr. Wigleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether his calculation that the annual cost of in creasing the death grant to £60 as proposed by Age Concern Wales would be £15 million, is the net cost taking account of the savings in payments by the Supplementary Benefits Commission for funeral expenses.
§ Mr. OrmeNo. The figure of £15 million is the estimated annual cost to the National Insurance Fund. The Supplementary Benefits Commission does not keep separate records of payments for funeral expenses, but it is estimated that they total less than £100,000 a year.
§ 56. Mr. Gristasked the Secretary of State for Social Services where, in order of priorities for increasing social security benefits, he places an increase in the death grant.
§ Mr. OrmeThe rate of the death grant is considered each time benefits are reviewed for up-rating purposes. However, it is only one of many benefits competing for available resources. To determine priorities is never an easy matter, but the Government consider that resources should be devoted in the first place to maintaining—and, where possible, improving—the levels of pensions and other weekly maintenance benefits, and to continuing the improvement in provision for the disabled.