Funeral Poverty and Funeral Support Payment Reference Group

Overview

The Funeral Poverty and Funeral Support Payment Reference Group was set up to support Scottish Ministers in developing policy for a new funeral payment. Funeral Support Payment has now launched.

The group advises on:

• the evidence base to support policy decisions
• the evaluation of policy
• the perspective of users
• the wider landscape of funeral and bereavement issues in Scotland
• interaction with wider Scottish and UK social security benefits

The group first met in March 2016.

Members

• Bryan Kerr, Church of Scotland
• Elaine Thornton-Nicol, Scottish Older People’s Assembly
• Eileen Cawley, Scottish Pensioners Forum
• Ellie Wagstaff, Marie Curie
• Ewan Gurr, Funeral Link
• Fiona Arnott-Barron, Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland
• Gerry Boyle, Dignity
• Jane Matheson, Scottish Working Group on Funeral Poverty
• Joanne Wakeley, Age Scotland
• John Cunningham, COSLA
• John Halliday, Caledonia Funeral Aid
• Joseph Murren, Society Of Allied And Independent Funeral Directors (SAIF)
• Julie Dunk, Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM)
• Lindesay Mace, Quaker Social Action, Down to Earth
• Mark Willis, Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)
• Natalie McQuade, Association of British Credit Unions Ltd (ABCUL)
• Nick Britten, National Association of Funeral Directors (NAFD)
• Simon Cox, Funeral Solution Expert

Publications