To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Social Fund Budgeting loans to cover funeral costs were (a) approved and (b) rejected in each of the last five years; and what the (a) average and (b) lowest payment was for a Social Fund Budgeting loans.
Answered on
14 May 2018
Data on Social Fund Budgeting Loans, where the loan is used to cover funeral costs, is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The average Social Fund Budgeting Loan payment in each of the last 5 years is provided in table 1. These relate to all Budgeting Loans and not just those used to cover funeral costs.
Figures are rounded to the nearest £10.
Table 1: Average Budgeting Loan payments, 2013-2017
Year | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
Average Budgeting Loan payment | £400 | £410 | £420 | £430 | £420 |
Source: Policy, Budget and Management Information System
In each of the last 5 years, the lowest payment made for a Social Fund Budgeting Loan is £100. This is the minimum amount that can be applied for.