Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applicants who were (a) responsible for funeral costs and (b) in receipt of a qualifying benefit were denied a Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payment because of the family tests in the eligibility criteria in each of the last five years.

Table 1 shows the number of applicants who were refused a Funeral Expenses Payment for the below reasons:

• There is a surviving partner
• There is a closer relative
• They are not a partner, friend or relative

Table 1: Funeral Expense Payments- Refusals linked to the Family Test

Notes:

- These figures have been estimated using unaudited internal DWP Management Information which is not quality assured to the same extent as Official / National statistics.

- These applicants are assumed to have been responsible for funeral costs and to have been in receipt of a qualifying benefit.

- Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.