NAFD steps up Social Fund campaign
Since Parliament returned from the summer recess, the National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD) has been busy stepping up its campaigning, highlighting problems inherent with the system of Social Fund funeral payments and the importance of reforming the death certification process and Coroners’ Service.
Representatives of the NAFD have held a series of meetings with opposition MPs including Jenny Willott MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The Liberal Democrats have been very critical of the way in which the Social Fund operates so NAFD Chief Executive Officer Alan Slater and Past President Nigel Lymn Rose seized the opportunity to alert Ms Willott to the problems surrounding funeral payments.
The focus of the meeting, held at the end of October, was funeral directors’ concerns about the current £700 price cap and the need for prompt decisions from JobCentre Plus when applications for funeral payments are received. The NAFD was delighted when Ms Willott offered to table Parliamentary Questions and examine how the Social Fund operates.
On November 10 the NAFD met Daniel Kawczynski MP, Conservative MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, to discuss his concerns over Social Fund funeral payments which were raised in a Mail on Sunday article. The article, published on October 12, highlighted the problems of one of his constituents, Shrewsbury funeral director Clive Pugh, who was waiting to bury a 77-year old man who had died on August 13. On August 18 the deceased’s family had made an application to the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) for assistance, but it was not cleared until October 9 and the funeral finally took place on October 17 – some nine weeks after the death.
At the meeting, Alan Slater and Nigel Lymn Rose briefed Mr Kawczynski about the history of the Social Fund, explaining how the sum available – capped at £700 – was insufficient to meet the cost of a ‘simple’ funeral, and discussed how the application procedure could be improved.
Mr Kawczynski was so supportive of the NAFD’s position that he also offered to table Parliamentary Questions and indicated he was keen to take part in any future House of Commons debates on the Social Fund.
At a meeting with Sir Alan Beith MP, Chairman of the Constitutional Affairs and Justice Select Committee, Alan Slater and Nigel Lymn Rose discussed in some detail the funeral sector’s views on the reform of the death certification process and the Coroners’ Service.
“We anticipate that a new Bill on Death Certification and Coroners’ Reform will be included in the Government’s legislative agenda for the coming year, so the meeting with Sir Alan gave us the chance to highlight the unacceptable practice of Local Authorities using positive tendering for Coroners’ removals,” says Alan Slater.
“It was a very productive session which ended with Sir Alan offering to receive further briefings from the NAFD and to raise our concerns at future meetings of the Select Committee.”
In addition to these meetings the All Party Parliamentary Funerals and Bereavement Group met in the House of Commons to debate a range of issues, including the Social Fund, the impact on funeral firms of the Road Fund Licence increases scheduled to take effect in April 2009 and the problem of retained ashes.
The NAFD is delighted to report that Kitty Ussher MP, the new DWP Minister responsible for the Social Fund, has agreed to meet the Group on December 3. At this, and future meetings with MPs, the Group intends to raise the problems funeral directors are encountering with the Social Fund and the NAFD is therefore asking funeral directors to send it examples of where the Social Fund is failing.
“Any information on the kind of problems funeral directors and bereaved families are experiencing will be welcome because the more evidence that comes to our attention, the stronger the case for improvements we can make to the Government and the Opposition,” adds Mr Slater.
To discuss issues relating to Social Fund funeral payments contact the National Association of Funeral Directors on 0870 0845 230 1343 or email info@nafd.org.uk
