Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the average amount claimed for each funeral expenses payment in each year since 2005.
Data on the amount claimed for Funeral Expenses Payments (FEPs) is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The number of FEP applications received by the DWP and awards as a proportion of FEP applications processed, in each calendar year since 2005, are given below in table 1. They are rounded to the nearest 0.1%. Figures are not given for 2018 as the calendar year is incomplete.
Due to the timing of application processing, figures on awards may relate to applications processed in the previous year.
Table 1: FEP applications received and proportion of FEP applications resulting in an award, Great Britain 2005 - 2017
Year | Applications received (000s) | Awards as a proportion of applications processed |
2005 | 68.5 | 62.5% |
2006 | 67.7 | 61.3% |
2007 | 63.8 | 61.3% |
2008 | 67.5 | 59.5% |
2009 | 68.9 | 58.3% |
2010 | 66.8 | 56.6% |
2011 | 71 | 54.6% |
2012 | 66.4 | 54.4% |
2013 | 62.2 | 56.3% |
2014 | 52.5 | 59.1% |
2015 | 46.6 | 62.5% |
2016 | 44.3 | 60.9% |
2017 | 41.8 | 61.7% |
Source: Social Fund Policy, Budget, and Management Information System
Notes: