asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether, having regard to the increase in burial charges, he will increase the Government grant on death.

I would refer my hon. and learned Friend to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Sudbury and Woodbridge (Mr. Stainton) on 31st March 1977.—[Vol. 929, c. 231.]

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received from organisations concerned with the elderly about the uprating of the death grant.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what recent representations he has received suggesting an increase in the death grant.

So far this year we have received 58 representations that death grant should be increased, 10 of them from organisations concerned with the elderly.

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the number of elderly people who on grounds of age are (a) eligible for death grant at the reduced rate and (b) not eligible for death grant at all; and what would be the cost of paying death grant at its present rate in full in both cases.

, pursuant to his reply [Official Report, 4th April 1977; Vol. 929, c. 374], gave the following information:It is estimated that there are approximately 1,300,000 elderly people for whom a reduced rate of death grant will be payable, and 200,000 for whom no grant will be payable. Were a standard-rate death grant to become payable for both categories, the additional cost in 1977–78 would be approximately £3·3 million.