To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the average cost of a funeral in each year since 2003.
Answered on
18 July 2018
The Department for Work and Pensions does not produce estimates for the average cost of a funeral.
The average Funeral Expenses Payment (FEP) made in each year is published in the Social Fund Annual Report. Table 1 below provides the average FEP made in each year since 2003/04. Figures are rounded to the nearest £1.
Table 1: Average FEP award, 2003/04 – 2017/18
Year | Average FEP award |
2003/04 | £1,019 |
2004/05 | £1,051 |
2005/06 | £1,081 |
2006/07 | £1,117 |
2007/08 | £1,162 |
2008/09 | £1,194 |
2009/10 | £1,208 |
2010/11 | £1,217 |
2011/12 | £1,241 |
2012/13 | £1,225 |
2013/14 | £1,347 |
2014/15 | £1,375 |
2015/16 | £1,410 |
2016/17 | £1,427 |
2017/18 | £1,461 |
Source: Social Fund Annual Reports 2003/04 – 2016/17, Social Fund Policy Budget and Management Information System
Notes
- The figure for 2017/18 is drawn from the Social Fund Policy Budget and Management Information System as the Social Fund Annual Report 2017/18 is not yet published.
- The average award is the average payment net of returned payments (including appeals). This is calculated by taking the total value of payments in a given year (net of returned payments) and dividing by the total number of payments in a given year, as recorded in the Policy, Budget and Management Information System.
- These averages include awards made after review, reconsideration or appeal following an initial refusal.