§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services on how many occasions in 1978 and in 1982 or for the last year for which figures are available there were supplementary benefit single payments to help with funeral costs; if he will categorise the claimants to whom they were made; and if he will give the average amount paid and the range of amounts.
§ Dr. BoysonThe following information was obtained from the December 1978 and December 1982 annual statistical inquiries. It records single payment awards made during the preceding 12 months to claimants who 531W were still in receipt of benefit on the date the exercises were carried out. It does not therefore record all such payments made during those years.
December 1978 Supplementary Pension Claims Supplementary Allowance Claims Number of single payments for funeral expenses 4,000 2,000 Average amount £88 £88 Range of payments (of those in the sample) £24–£158 £21–£217 December 1982 Number of single payments for funeral expenses 7,500 5,000 Average amount £214 £204 Range of payments (of those in the sample) £2–£407 £9–£505
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many widows made a claim for a supplementary benefit single payment to help with their husband's funeral expenses in 1982; and how many claims were successful.
§ Dr. BoysonInformation is available only on those claims which are successful. Claimants are recorded by reference to statistical groups, according to their main source of income and many widows will therefore be recorded as retirement pensioners. The numbers and amounts of single payments for funeral expenses to supplementary benefit claimants classified as widows that were recorded in the December 1982 annual statistical inquiry are as follows:
Number of single payments for funerals to those recorded as widows Average amount Range of payments* 7,000 £229 £2 to £505 * Of those in the sample. These figures relate to payments made in the 12 months before the inquiry to those claimants who were in receipt of supplementary benefit at the date on which the exercise took place. They do not therefore record all payments made during the year. No information is available about the relationship of the claimant to the deceased person.