WIDOWED PARENT'S ALLOWANCE

That this House is deeply concerned about the changes to Widowed Parent's Allowance, renamed Bereavement Support from April 2017; understands that the Childhood Bereavement Network has shown that 75 per cent of bereaved families will be worse off in cash terms under those changes, with the average widowed parent losing out on up to £12,000 and payments will be limited to 18 months; is concerned that this support will no longer rise with inflation meaning that its value will gradually diminish as the cost of living rises; is alarmed that this support will not be available to those who are co-habiting, even though one in five couples with children are not married according to the Office for National Statistics; is aware that the new Bereavement Support payment regime will disproportionately affect women, given that working-age women are more likely to claim bereavement allowance with 70 per cent of claimants in 2014 being female; appreciates that bereavement is one of the main causes of financial difficulty according to research; and is further deeply concerned that such cuts will put families under unnecessary pressure, increasing their stress at a time when they need to prioritise their grieving children.