The Social Fund Maternity and Funeral Expenses (General) Amendment Regulations 1997

Amendment of regulation 7A of the General Regulations

6.—(1) Regulation 7A of the General Regulations(1) (amount of funeral payment) shall be amended in accordance with the following paragraphs.

(2) In paragraph (2), for sub-paragraphs (e) and (f) there shall be substituted the following sub-paragraphs—

“(e)where transport is provided by a vehicle for the coffin and bearers and by one additional vehicle, from the funeral director’s premises or the place of rest to the funeral and—

(i)the distance travelled, in the case of a funeral which consists of a burial where no costs have been incurred under sub-paragraph (a)(i) above, exceeds 50 miles; or

(ii)the distance travelled, in the case of any other funeral, necessarily exceeds 50 miles,

subject to paragraph (4A), the reasonable cost of the transport provided, other than the cost in respect of the first 50 miles of the distance travelled;

(f)subject to paragraph (4B), the necessary cost of one return journey for the responsible person, either for the purpose of making arrangements for, or for attendance at, the funeral;”.

(3) For paragraph (3) there shall be substituted the following paragraph—

“(3) All references in paragraph (2)(d) and (e) to 50 miles shall be construed as applying to—

(a)in a case to which paragraph (2)(d) applies, the combined distance from the funeral director’s premises or the deceased’s place of rest to the place of death and of the return journey;

(b)in a case to which paragraph (2)(e) applies, the combined distance from the funeral director’s premises or the deceased’s place of rest to the funeral and of the return journey.”.

(4) After paragraph (4), there shall be inserted the following paragraphs—

“(4A) Costs shall only be met pursuant to head (i) of sub-paragraph (e) of paragraph (2) to the extent that the cost incurred under that head, together with the cost incurred under paragraph (2)(a)(ii), does not exceed the costs which would have been incurred under paragraph (2)(a)(i) and (ii) and, where appropriate, (e)(ii) if it had been necessary to purchase a new burial plot for the deceased with an exclusive right of burial in that plot.

(4B) Costs shall only be met pursuant to sub-paragraph (f) of paragraph (2) to the extent that those costs do not exceed the costs which would have been incurred in respect of a return journey from the home of the responsible person to the location where the necessary costs of the burial or, as the case may be, cremation, would have been incurred pursuant to paragraph (2)(a) or, as the case may be, (b).”.