What its response is to the key findings of the Citizens Advice Scotland annual report on burial and cremation charges, and what discussion…

The Scottish Government welcomes the report from Citizen’s Advice Scotland (CAS), which highlights that funeral costs have increased significantly in recent years. We are working closely with a range of stakeholders including CAS, funeral directors and the Third Sector as part of our work to tackle funeral poverty in Scotland. Our recently published Funeral Costs Plan commits the Scottish Government to 10 key actions to tackle funeral poverty during this Parliamentary term, including the publication of statutory guidance on funeral costs by December 2018.
While recognising that each local authority is responsible for setting its own charges, the Scottish Government expects that the guidance will explore a range of factors contributing to variability of costs and charging for burial and cremation across Scotland. We are already working with local authorities and COSLA to better understand these issues and will continue to work closely with them in the drafting and publication of the guidance.