Funerals.
Dear South Lanarkshire Council,
I am undertaking a study on the numbers of Public Health/Welfare Funerals undertaken by LA's in Scotland. I would appreciate it if you would provide answers to the following FOI request.
1. The total number of public health funerals (where the deceased
has no relatives or there is no one else willing to pay) that your LA has undertaken for the financial years 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18?
2. The number of public health funerals that your LA has
undertaken by gender for the past 3 financial years?
3. The number of public health funerals that your LA has
undertaken by age for the past 3 financial years?
Since April 2015, how many cases have there been where family and
friends refuse to finance or make arrangements for their relatives
funeral?
4. How much have the burials/cremations cost the LA broken down
by year for the last three financial years? This cost information
does not need to include administrative or staff costs, and before
any costs are claimed back by the local authority from the
deceased’s estate
5. How much does your trust typically (average cost) pay for a
Public Health Funeral?
6. What does your LA provide at a Public Health Funeral?
7. What relationship do you have with your local NHS Trust
regarding funerals of this nature?
8. Have you observed any of the following over the last three
years?
• Higher numbers or people dying without any income or assets
• Higher numbers of people dying with family or friends unable to
contribute to the costs of a funeral
• Higher numbers of people dying with family or friends unwilling
to contribute to the costs of a funeral
• Higher numbers of people dying with no friends or family
Yours faithfully,
Mairead Clarkin
Dear Ms Clarkin
Thank you for your information request regarding public health funerals
held in the last 3 financial years. A full response will be provided as
soon as possible but no later than 12 June 2018. In the meantime, if you
have any queries, please contact the office, details below.
Regards
FWGS on behalf of Bereavement Services
Facilities, Waste and Grounds Services
Community and Enterprise Resources
South Lanarkshire Council
18 Forrest Street
Blantyre
G72 0JP
Tel No: 0303 123 1020
Email: [1][email address]
Web: [2]www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk
______________________________________________________________________
This email has been scanned by the Symantec Email Security.cloud service.
For more information please visit http://www.symanteccloud.com
______________________________________________________________________
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/
Dear Ms Clarkin
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA)
Request for Information
I refer to your information request received by the Council on 14 May 2018
in which you ask for the following information:
1. The total number of public health funerals (where the deceased has
no relatives or there is no one else willing to pay) that you LA has
undertaken for the financial years 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18?
2. The number of public health funerals that your LA has undertaken by
gender for the past 3 financial years?
3. The number of public health funerals that your LA has undertaken by
age for the past 3 financial years? Since April 2015, how many cases have
there been where family and friends refuse to finance or make arrangements
for their relatives funeral?
4. How much have the burials/cremations cost the LA broken down by
year for the last three financial years? This cost information does not
need to include administrative or staff costs and before any costs are
claimed back by the local authority from the deceased’s estate.
5. How much does your trust typically (average cost) pay for a Public
Health Funeral?
6. What does your LA provide at a Public Health Funeral?
7. What relationship do you have with your local NHS Trust regarding
funerals of this nature?
8. Have you observed any of the following over the last three years?
a. Higher numbers of people dying without any income or assets.
b. Higher numbers of people dying with family or friends unable to
contribute to the costs of a funeral.
c. Higher numbers of people dying with family or friends unwilling to
contribute to the costs of a funeral.
d. Higher numbers of people dying with no friends or family.
Response to Requests
The Council has searched its records and has located the information that
you have requested as detailed below:
1. The total number of public health funerals undertaken is as
follows:
· 2015/16 – 9 funerals
· 2016/17 – 14 funerals
· 2017/18 – 21 funerals
2. The number of public health funerals undertaken broken down by
gender is as follows:
· 2015/16 – Male x 5 / Female x 4
· 2016/17 – Male x 10 / Female x 4
· 2016/17 – Male x 17 / Female x 4
3. The number of public health funerals undertaken broken down by age
is as follows:
· 2015/16 – 44 years
50 years
59 years
63 years
64 years
65 years
75 years
76 years
77 years
· 2016/17 – 32 years
46 years
48 years
53 years
54 years
56 years
57 years
60 years
61 years
68 years
74 years
81 years
82 years
97 years
· 2017/18 – 32 years
49 years
49 years
52 years
54 years
57 years
62 years
62 years
63 years
63 years
69 years
73 years
74 years
75 years
75 years
75 years
77 years
79 years
83 years
99 years
4. The total cost of burials/cremations undertaken is as follows:
· 2015/16 - £4,050.00
· 2016/17 - £6,300.00
· 2017/18 - £9,450.00
5. The cost of a public health funeral is £450.00.
6. South Lanarkshire Council provide a coffin, transport to the
crematorium/cemetery by a professional funeral director and the
burial/cremation.
7. The Council has a good relationship with the NHS. They have the
appropriate contact details and know where, when and who to contact in the
event that someone passes away in these circumstances.
8. a) Information on people dying without any income or assets is not
held and therefore this information is refused in terms of Section 17 of
FOISA.
b) Yes, there have been higher numbers of people dying with family and
friends unable to contribute to the costs of a funeral
c) Yes, there have been higher numbers of people dying with family and
friends unwilling to contribute to the costs of a funeral
d) No, there has not been a higher number of people dying with no friends
or family.
Request for Review
The Council has a Review Panel to deal with complaints from people who are
not happy about the way that it has handled their request. Staff not
involved in the original decision will handle any review.
If you want to complain, you can ask the Review Panel to look at the way
that we have dealt with your request. It will consider whether we have
complied with the requirements of FOISA. Please note that if you wish to
complain, you must do so by 11 August 2018. You must explain why you are
not happy when requesting a review.
Please note that the Review Panel cannot consider any decisions taken by
the Council or actions of the Council or any of its employees or a service
provided by it that are not connected to the handling of your request for
information.
You should send your request for a review to:
Mr. W. Dunn
Information Compliance Manager
Finance and Corporate Resources
Floor 11
Council Offices
Almada Street
Hamilton
ML3 0AA
Alternatively, you can request a review at
[1][email address].
Appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner
If you are not happy with the outcome of the review, you can appeal to the
Scottish Information Commissioner. The Commissioner will decide whether
we have dealt with your request properly. Please see the Commissioner’s
website at [2]www.itspublicknowledge.info for further details.
Regards
FWGS on behalf of Bereavement Services
Facilities, Waste and Grounds Services
Community and Enterprise Resources
South Lanarkshire Council
18 Forrest Street
Blantyre
G72 0JP
Tel No: 0303 123 1020
Email: [3][email address]
Web: [4]www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk
______________________________________________________________________
This email has been scanned by the Symantec Email Security.cloud service.
For more information please visit http://www.symanteccloud.com
______________________________________________________________________
References
Visible links
1. mailto:[email address]
2. http://www.itspublicknowledge.info/
3. mailto:[email address]
4. http://www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/
We work to defend the right to FOI for everyone
Help us protect your right to hold public authorities to account. Donate and support our work.
Donate Now