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The Living Force
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/itn/20081012/tuk-benefits-delays-hold-up-funerals-dba1618.html
Benefits delays hold up funerals
ITN - 12th Oct 2008
Bodies are going unburied for up to two months because the Government is delaying the payment of benefits, it has been claimed.
Undertakers hit by the credit crunch are refusing to carry out funerals until the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed it will foot the bill.
Bereaved families can apply to the DWP for help with funeral costs if they can prove they are receiving benefits and cannot afford to pay.
About 27,000 people receive cash from the Social Fund every year, totalling £46 million. Typically, each gets up to £700 towards the coffin and collection of the deceased, plus another £1,000 for other expenses such as cremation fees.
But one leading firm of undertakers said there has been an increase in the length of time it takes payments to be approved.
John Weir, of the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors, said his colleagues were being put in an impossible position because they could not afford to extend credit.
Mr Weir said: "There are hundreds of people in this situation. Funeral directors are having to take a more commercial approach in these troubled times.
"The normal gap between death and burial is about ten days, but the Government's stance means it can be more like five weeks and sometimes longer.
"In these economic conditions, many directors now look to get payment in advance."
Daniel Kawczynski, the Tory MP for Shrewsbury, said he would table a question in Parliament on the issue after being contacted by grieving families.
"There are no winners here, only victims. Hard-working funeral directors who are already feeling the pinch of the credit crunch are, in contrast to usual practice, having to refuse to undertake funerals without first receiving payment.
"At the same time, the friends and family of the deceased are having to suffer the indignity of seeing their loved ones unburied while the Government dithers about making funeral payments."
One of Mr Kawczynski's constituents is Shrewsbury funeral director Clive Pugh, who is still waiting to bury a 77-year-old man from Powys in Wales who died on August 13.
His daughter made an application for financial help on August 18, but it was not cleared until October 9. The funeral will take place on Friday - nearly nine weeks after his death.
Mr Pugh said: "The daughter is being pretty stoic about it, but I feel terrible. I can't just lend out money unsecured and without interest - my outgoings are around £15,000 a month and if I didn't get the money upfront I would go bust."
A DWP spokeswoman said: "It's obviously a difficult time for any family following the death of a relative and that's why we make sure applications are processed as quickly as possible with the majority done in 16 days or less.
"So that we can make payments quickly and ensure they go to the people who need them most, we need the right information from people.
"Sometimes we may have to go back to the relative to get details they have left out which could lead to a delay."
Benefits delays hold up funerals
ITN - 12th Oct 2008
Bodies are going unburied for up to two months because the Government is delaying the payment of benefits, it has been claimed.
Undertakers hit by the credit crunch are refusing to carry out funerals until the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed it will foot the bill.
Bereaved families can apply to the DWP for help with funeral costs if they can prove they are receiving benefits and cannot afford to pay.
About 27,000 people receive cash from the Social Fund every year, totalling £46 million. Typically, each gets up to £700 towards the coffin and collection of the deceased, plus another £1,000 for other expenses such as cremation fees.
But one leading firm of undertakers said there has been an increase in the length of time it takes payments to be approved.
John Weir, of the National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors, said his colleagues were being put in an impossible position because they could not afford to extend credit.
Mr Weir said: "There are hundreds of people in this situation. Funeral directors are having to take a more commercial approach in these troubled times.
"The normal gap between death and burial is about ten days, but the Government's stance means it can be more like five weeks and sometimes longer.
"In these economic conditions, many directors now look to get payment in advance."
Daniel Kawczynski, the Tory MP for Shrewsbury, said he would table a question in Parliament on the issue after being contacted by grieving families.
"There are no winners here, only victims. Hard-working funeral directors who are already feeling the pinch of the credit crunch are, in contrast to usual practice, having to refuse to undertake funerals without first receiving payment.
"At the same time, the friends and family of the deceased are having to suffer the indignity of seeing their loved ones unburied while the Government dithers about making funeral payments."
One of Mr Kawczynski's constituents is Shrewsbury funeral director Clive Pugh, who is still waiting to bury a 77-year-old man from Powys in Wales who died on August 13.
His daughter made an application for financial help on August 18, but it was not cleared until October 9. The funeral will take place on Friday - nearly nine weeks after his death.
Mr Pugh said: "The daughter is being pretty stoic about it, but I feel terrible. I can't just lend out money unsecured and without interest - my outgoings are around £15,000 a month and if I didn't get the money upfront I would go bust."
A DWP spokeswoman said: "It's obviously a difficult time for any family following the death of a relative and that's why we make sure applications are processed as quickly as possible with the majority done in 16 days or less.
"So that we can make payments quickly and ensure they go to the people who need them most, we need the right information from people.
"Sometimes we may have to go back to the relative to get details they have left out which could lead to a delay."
