Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the duration of the Bereavement Support Payment on the finances of bereaved parents with dependent children.

Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) aims to provide support during the acute period following a bereavement by way of an initial lump sum followed by up to 18 monthly instalments. Where longer-term financial support is needed, benefits such as Universal Credit have been specifically designed to provide assistance with ongoing living costs. The Government keeps the eligibility of all benefits under review.

In Autumn 2021 the previous Government carried out an evaluation on whether BSP is meeting its policy intent by supporting claimants with the immediate costs that follow a bereavement. The findings suggested that BSP is meeting this policy intent, and it also found that the current payment distribution of a lump sum and 18 monthly instalment was working well.