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Funerals

Volume 196: debated on Thursday 17 October 1991

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To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, further to his reply of 3 July, Official Report, column 307, what response he has had from the National Association of Funeral Directors to his suggestion that its code of conduct should include a commitment to itemise the costs of a basic funeral.

In my statement to the House on 3 July I said that I would ask the National Association of Funeral Directors to amend its code of practice to require its members to provide itemised estimates of their charges for funeral services.I raised the issue of itemised estimates when I met the association on 11 July. I told it that I was convinced that customers would benefit from being provided with clearly itemised estimates of charges in advance of their purchase of a funeral. Such itemised estimates would enable customers to compare the services offered by different funeral directors and choose that which gave best value.To reinforce the points I made at our meeting I wrote to the NAFD on 16 October to urge it to amend its code of practice. I am awaiting its reply.