Written question asked by Lord Chidgey (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 27 November 1997, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 4 December 1997. It was answered by Nigel Griffiths (Labour) on Thursday, 4 December 1997 on behalf of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Dept of Trade and Industry

Question: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, what statistics her Department collates on the ownership and company status of funeral director companies and their subsidiaries.

Answer: Mr. Chidgey: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what statistics her Department collates on the ownership and company status of funeral director companies and their subsidiaries; and if she will make a statement. [18742] Mr. Nigel Griffiths: The Department does not collect such information. The statistical information collected by The Office for National Statistics (ONS) on service sectors such as funeral direction does not cover the level of detail requested. The larger firms in the sector are required to report financial information to Companies House but many smaller firms in the sector do not have to do so. A number of funeral directors are also likely to be beneath the VAT threshold.

Secondary information