Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 31 Jan 1991

Vol. 404 No. 5

Adjournment Debate. - Dublin Funeral Costs.

Mr. G. Mitchell

Figures obtained by me from an established funeral director show that the cost of a funeral in Dublin — it is the cost of a funeral in Dublin that I am raising here today because I have not had an opportunity to look at the position outside of Dublin — can range from £1,710 if the cheapest coffin is used to £3,260 if the most expensive coffin is used. This includes the cost for a hearse and one mourning car. If two mourning cars are used the cost would be an extra £170 or so.

The breakdown given to me for a hearse and one car is as follows: a new grave and opening, £450; church costs, £50; newspaper notices, £210; dressing the corpse, £30; wreaths, £100; hearse, £250 and one mourning car, £170, giving a total of £1,260. The cheapest coffin is £450 which would bring the total to £1,710; the dearest coffin is £2,000, giving a total of £3,260.

Without wishing to be insensitive, this money is spent mostly on a wooden box and the use of a taxi for a few hours work. What gives the proceedings dignity is the corpse. I do not want to take in any way from the dignity of a funeral. I am purely talking about what is charged and what people, at a very vulnerable time, are asked to pay by way of services. It is what is paid for that I query. At a time when the bereaved are often most vulnerable and want to give only the best for their dearly departed, independent counselling should be available to ensure that moneys are wisely spent. Poorer families sometimes go without for considerable periods in order to pay for a funeral. It can often happen with old people who have been paying penny insurance policies for a number of years that when the family claim the insurance they find that what they receive does not even cover the cost of the funeral. Those who suffer the terrible tragedy of the death of an infant find that infants are not covered by most insurance policies. This puts a terrible burden on people, particularly those in lower socio-economic groups. Thankfully the community often come to their aid by fund raising and so on. At this time people should have independent counselling available to them.

This is a matter which the prices section of the Department of Industry and Commerce should consider. In Dublin there seems to be a closed shop in operation and it is very difficult for new people to start up in the undertaking business. I am asking that the Department of Industry and Commerce call in the undertaking profession and have these matters examined and reported on, and that this be done sooner rather than later.

I very much regret the over-reaction of the undertaking profession in Dublin to my raising this question. The statement they made in response is, to say the least, outrageous. The figures I quote have been supplied to me by a prominent undertaker in Dublin. I am very grateful to those undertakers who have offered to provide me with the service at half price provided I go soon. I say to the House that this is not just a serious matter but is one which affects all people when they are at their most vulnerable. It is time that it was addressed and I would ask the Minister to undertake such an examination.

Minister of State at the Department of Industry and Commerce (Mr. Leyden)

I have seen newspaper reports of Deputy Mitchell's call on the Department of Industry and Commerce for discussions with the undertaking profession to substantially reduce the cost of funerals. In the course of the newspaper reports on his call for an investigation he quotes the cost of city burials at approximately £2,500. In the Dublin area there are on average over 7,000 funerals per annum. Consequently it is important that the families of the deceased receive value for money in this most sensitive of areas.

In May-June 1985 the National Prices Commission dealt at length with the subject of funeral undertakers and costs. Previously the commission had stated that undertakers should display the prices of their entire range of services and provide all clients with an itemised estimate before arrangements are confirmed. It noted that the adoption of a "code of practice" would meet these requirements.

I know that the Irish Association of Funeral Directors, which in the Dublin area encompasses the majority of undertakers, have adopted such a code of practice. That code of conduct provides that members should assist families in planning a funeral with particular emphasis on the budgetary aspect of the funeral.

Undertakers should have available a complete price list showing their charges for merchandise, services and facilities and also a complete list of payments they may be required to make on clients' behalf. The code continues that an estimate of funeral costs should be offered to each client at the time of making funeral arrangements or at the earliest possible opportunity. Subsequently undertakers should provide an itemised account showing charges and payments made on the clients' behalf, together with settlement terms.

The principal services offered by undertakers and contributing to the overall cost of a funeral are as follows: (a) supplying the coffin; (b) provision of hearse and limousine; (c) supplying burial robes; (d) the funeral home overnight; and (e) embalming.

Undertakers also offer to purchase the graves, insert press notices, supply wreaths and arrange church notices.

In their May 1983 survey, the National Prices Commission indicated that the cost of the coffin could account for approximately 50 per cent to 70 per cent of the cost of the funeral. The type of materials used is the determining factor in the cost of coffins. This is a feature that was also mentioned in the recent Irish Countrywomen's Association survey on the cost of funerals. The cost of a coffin can be the single most expensive item in the make-up of the ultimate bill. Among the factors involved are expensive timbers and excessive ornamentation which raises the price of coffins considerably.

The second significant factor, in the Dublin area particularly, in the cost of a funeral is the provision of the grave. I understand that the cost of a grave purchase in the Dublin area ranges from £350 to £800 for a single grave, and the charge for opening a new or existing grave ranges from something over £100 to nearly £300 in the greater Dublin area.

I have considered the need for an investigation into the cost of funerals in Dublin. In doing so I must say that neither I nor the Director of Consumer Affairs has received complaints on the costs of funerals in the Dublin area, apart from what Deputy Gay Mitchell may have put forward to the Department. Such an investigation is not called for as there is a significant degree of competition in the provision of such services in the Dublin area. Indeed I gather that there are over 25 undertakers servicing the city and county.

However, relatives at the time of the bereavement should consider the range and nature of the services they require. It is not unusual now to obtain estimates from various undertaking firms in the Dublin area. Indeed, this follows the code of conduct of the Irish Association of Funeral Directors. In considering the various costs, great consideration should be given by consumers to the type of coffin they wish provided. Cost here can vary from £200 to £800, and indeed I am aware that certain coffins can go up to over £2,000. There is very little that can be done in the case of the plot in the graveyard.

Other areas of discretionary expenditure should be seriously considered. There is no need to have a death announcement in each of the national dailies and the evening papers. Advertisements in daily papers for a 17 line announcement come to something over £80. Four or five such insertions amount to a considerable amount of money. The provision of wreaths and cars is an area that should also be addressed.

Therefore, while appreciating the Deputy's concern on this sensitive subject at a particularly emotional time for a bereaved family, I would also stress the necessity by the relatives to shop around among the various undertaking establishments to obtain the best value for money. This is a very sensitive issue and comments could be misinterpreted. Prices in rural areas are different from those in the city but they are accounted for by the demands of families who require a certain type of service at funerals.