§ Mr. FoulkesTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, further to his reply of 3 July,Official Report, column 307, what response he has had from the National Association of Funeral Directors to his suggestion that its code of conduct should include a commitment to itemise the costs of a basic funeral.
§ Mr. LeighIn my statement to the House on 3 July I said that I would ask the National Association of Funeral Directors to amend its code of practice to require its members to provide itemised estimates of their charges for funeral services.
I raised the issue of itemised estimates when I met the association on 11 July. I told it that I was convinced that customers would benefit from being provided with clearly itemised estimates of charges in advance of their purchase of a funeral. Such itemised estimates would enable customers to compare the services offered by different funeral directors and choose that which gave best value.
To reinforce the points I made at our meeting I wrote to the NAFD on 16 October to urge it to amend its code of practice. I am awaiting its reply.