Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to help reduce the cost of services provided by funeral companies.

The Competition and Market’s Authority have completed a comprehensive investigation into the funeral market. The government is carefully considering the recommendations made in the final report and will be issuing a response shortly.

In regard to the cost of funeral services; the Competition and Market’s Authority are continuing to look at pricing controls and will commence their monitoring programme soon. Additionally, the Government helps with the cost of funeral services for many bereaved families through the funeral expenses payment scheme and the Children’s Funeral Fund.