§ Mr. PawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the current cost of providing funeral expenses to those pensioners on income support; and what is the number who have secured such help.
§ Mr. ScottIn the last full year for which records are available (1990–91) 12,702 awards of funeral payments were made totalling £7,631,107 to pensioners on income support; in the first six months of this year 6,015 awards have been made totalling £4,094,645. Funeral payments from the social fund are also paid to people who are receiving family credit, housing benefit and community charge benefit.