§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will ease the criteria for social security payment of funeral costs in the light of the findings of the Office of Fair Trading that the estate of a deceased person or insurance payments fails to meet the full cost of the funeral in 28 per cent. of cases, and social security payments contribute in 3 per cent. of cases.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe introduction of social fund funeral payments in April 1987 extended help with meeting the cost of a simple funeral, which had previously been available only to people receiving supplementary benefit, to all on low incomes, whether in work or out of it. People who are in receipt of income support, family credit or housing benefit are eligible. We plan to lay regulations before the House shortly to extend eligibility for funeral payments, as from April 1989, to people in Scotland who receive a community charge rebate and, from April 1990, to those in England, Wales and Scotland who receive a community charge benefit. We believe that it is right to concentrate help in this manner and that a family who can afford to pay funeral costs which cannot be met from the deceased's estate should be expected to do so.