The Funeral Expenses Payment is a recoverable loan, rather than a non-recoverable grant.

In the period June 2017- May 2018, there were approximately 40,200 applications received for Funeral Expenses Payments in Great Britain.

This figure is drawn from the Social Fund Policy, Budget, and Management Information System.

Notes:

• The figure is rounded to the nearest 100.
• The figure relates to applications received by DWP, not applications processed. Some applications may have been withdrawn before a decision was made.
• The figure does not include applications that were processed clerically and have not been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System.
• The number of applications made in each year is not equal to the number of people who made applications in that year. An individual may make multiple applications in a given time period.

The most recent month of data available is May 2018.

In the period June 2017- May 2018, there were 25,697 awards of Funeral Expenses Payments in Great Britain. This includes awards made after review, reconsideration or appeal following an initially unsuccessful application.

In the period June 2017 – May 2018, there were 14,680 initially unsuccessful applications for Funeral Expenses Payments in Great Britain. The number of initially unsuccessful applications is not equal to number of people who unsuccessfully apply for a Funeral Expenses Payment, as individuals may make multiple applications in a given time period.

Applications that were initially unsuccessful may have resulted in an award after review, reconsideration or appeal. As a result some applications may be counted in both of the above figures.

Figures are drawn from the Social Fund Policy, Budget, and Management Information System. The figures do not include applications that were processed clerically and have not been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System.

The Government is committed to ensuring that all families who lose a child are given the support they need. We already have the Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment scheme to support eligible bereaved families in need of financial support, and I am leading a piece of work across government to:

• support Kevin Hollinrake’s Private Members’ Bill, to introduce Parental Bereavement (Leave and Pay) for parents who lose a child under the age of 18;
• introduce a shorter application form for claims relating to children’s funerals from the Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment scheme, making it easier for bereaved parents to apply for financial support; and
• bring together information and support from across Government and more widely so it is easily accessible to bereaved parents.