Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether changes made to the processing of funeral expenses payments as a result of the covid-19 outbreak will be retained permanently.

As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, steps have been taken to significantly speed up the processing of Funeral Expenses Payment claims in support of those who need it most. These measures will continue to form part of the department’s response throughout the pandemic and we will consider if these should be retained permanently in due course.