Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Not only are the offices closed and the budget cut but the average of what one currently receives in Limerick and the mid-west region is hardly worth speaking about, because the budget for such exceptional needs payments has been cut repeatedly. At a recent meeting of the social affairs committee, I confirmed it had been cut to such an extent that community welfare officers have referred people to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and other similar organisations on the basis that their own budget had expired. Consequently, it will not do much good for new widows and widowers to approach such officers, only to find themselves referred to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

I do not know what sort of world the Government is living in but from experience in my own constituency, I can tell the Minister about many people who qualify for the bereavement grants. I know families in receipt of social welfare or with low incomes who are entitled to the bereavement grants. However, having received the grant, the rising cost of funerals - the average cost in Limerick is approximately €5,000 - has meant I have then been obliged to apply on their behalf to the community welfare officer for a top-up grant. Moreover, even on getting a small top-up grant, the funeral bill is still not paid completely. As an example of how far the Government appears to be divorced from reality, the Minister for Education and Skills was asked about this issue on radio recently. In his response, he stated the problem was that funerals had become too expensive and this expense was being driven by the bereavement grant, by what process I do not know. He also went on to suggest there was insufficient competition in the sector. Obviously, the Minister for Education and Skills envisages that on becoming a widow or a widower, a person will hold a tendering process and invite undertakers to make competitive bids.

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