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Local Government and Regeneration Committee 09 March 2016

09 Mar 2016 · S4 · Local Government and Regeneration Committee

Item of business

Burial and Cremation (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2

Brennan, Lesley Lab North East Scotland Watch on SPTV

During stage 1, I strongly urged the Scottish Government to go further on funeral poverty than its current commitment, because grieving families on low incomes need action now. I welcome the Scottish Government’s announcement that it will host the first national conference on tackling funeral poverty. I accept that there is a timing issue in relation to the Scotland Bill, but the Government’s amendments could have gone further on funeral costs. I lodged amendment 146 so that we can start the process of addressing funeral costs. I have experience of people seeking help when they are in critical need, and I hope that the committee will support amendment 146, given the cradle-to-grave philosophy of the welfare state and in light of rising funeral costs and our ageing population. Academics Dr Christine Valentine and Dr Kate Woodthorpe, of the centre for death and society at the University of Bath, said in their paper in Social Policy & Administration in 2014: “funeral costs may impose considerable financial burden on those left behind ... This burden not only reflects that funeral costs are subject to market forces, but also that bereavement, in itself, may cause financial hardship.” They went on to say, in relation to social fund funeral payments: “the process of applying for a FP was uncertain and complicated, due to confusion around eligibility, the way in which familial relationships were assessed, and how decisions regarding responsibility for funeral costs were made. As a result, FP claimants were often left feeling frustrated, with an increased sense of shame for being unable to afford the funeral.” Research suggests that for 55 per cent of claimants who receive a funeral payment, the award falls substantially short of the amount that is required to meet the cost of the funeral. Scottish Government data show that the typical award in 2014-15 was approximately £1,300, whereas the average cost of a funeral in the same year was £3,500. The situation is compounded by the perception of death as a private and highly individual event and the lack of a widespread culture of preparing for death. The findings have important implications for existing and future demand for public health funerals, which are the basic funerals that local authorities have a statutory duty to provide, under the National Assistance Act 1948, in circumstances in which no one is willing or able to organise and pay for an individual’s funeral. There are on-going issues with funeral payments, and there is concern that local authorities will be required to provide more public health funerals as the number of deaths per year increases. The issue needs to be resolved, and I hope that in the next parliamentary session the Parliament will address funeral payments. In the meantime, the bill presents an opportunity to start to address the issue. Amendment 146 would provide that “The Scottish Ministers may publish guidance on the costs associated with making arrangements for a funeral”, which “may in particular cover the desirability of such costs being affordable.” Before issuing such guidance, the Scottish ministers would have to consult burial authorities, cremation authorities, funeral directors and “any other persons they consider appropriate.” I hope that the committee will think that amendment 146 is reasonable, given that it is similar in structure to the provision in section 20 of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014. I hope that members will support amendment 146 and, in so doing, take the first step on the path to eradicating funeral poverty. I move amendment 146.

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Local Government and Regeneration Committee 09 March 2016

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