Islwyn MP Chris Evans has called on the UK Government to review the affordability of funerals.
It comes after a report claimed one in five households can’t afford the cost of a basic funeral.
The average funeral costs £3,500 and Mr Evans said the cost, availability of advice and support for poor families must be reviewed.
Mr Evans said: “The loss of a loved one is the toughest thing a family can ever go through. The least people expect is to be able to say a proper goodbye and not be forced into debt in doing so.
“Understandably this is a difficult issue for people to speak about, not being able to afford a funeral can be upsetting and isolating.
“This is exactly why it is on the Government to take action. The last thing bereaved families need is to worry about money. Ministers must now launch a review of funeral costs and look at any and all actions they can take to help people be able to afford funerals.”
Chris Evans is correct to raise these issues, but, is the government the right place to land the problem of ever increasing costs, and, profits, from funerals.
One of the reasons prices have risen in this `business`, is because many firms build in a cost to those with the ability to pay, those with insurance, etc. this enables them to help carry the cost of those with an inabilty to pay promptly, or those without the means to pay at all for even the most basic essencials of a respectable and fitting tribute to passed family members, and, due to more families living from hand to mouth these days the numbers of people falling within this group are increasing unproportionaly, Funeral Directors are finding it increasingly more difficult to assist poorer people. Hence the increases in cost sustained by funeral directors to those with the ability to pay.
This is not a matter for the government, but it can be eased by Local Authorities increasing the level of assistance it gives to families on low incomes to assist with funeral costs, this help, combined with grants aleady available from the government is mostly enough to cover the cost of a funeral, the problem is of course that grieving families have to jump through hoops to get any financial help from local authorities and the government departments.
In the case of this being a problem for people in Wales of course Chris Evans could put pressure on the Labour Welsh Assembly Government and encourage them to debate the problems he has recognised and come up with some solutions, perhaps the subsidised `Welsh Assembly Buildings “Off Licenced bars” could be diverted to help, or, perhaps some of the fleet of Ministerial cars and the cost of running them could be axed and diverted to such a fund, or, what about diverting the £1 million or so subsidy we pay for a underused and elietist airoplane flying from Cardiff airport to North Wales to such a fund, that would help.