Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the effect of the 18 week limit for bereavement support payments on the time available to families to grieve before returning to work.

Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is paid as an initial larger payment followed by up to 18 smaller monthly instalments. It provides targeted support to help with the immediate costs of bereavement rather than being an income replacement for on-going living expenses. The period of payment is not intended to equate to the period of grief following a bereavement.

The Government has made a commitment to review the impacts of BSP once sufficient evidence is available to assess all aspects of the policy.