Funeral Director Code of Practice: business and regulatory impact assessment

12 Consumer Assessment

• Does the policy affect the quality, availability or price of any goods or services in a market?

The Funeral Director Code will set minimum standards for the quality of funeral director services in Scotland. It is not anticipated that the Funeral Director Code will have long-term impacts on the availability of funeral director services, however we acknowledge that some funeral director businesses may, in the immediate term, decide to close rather than make adjustments to comply with the Code. It is also not anticipated that the Funeral Director Code will have long-term impacts on the price of funeral director services, however it may be that a funeral director business will pass on costs to consumers (in the short and medium term) of having to make investments in order to comply with the Code. These investments may be, for example, security for spaces which store the deceased or refrigeration/cold-room storage.

• Does the policy affect the essential services market, such as energy or water?

No

• Does the policy involve storage or increased use of consumer data?

No

• Does the policy increase opportunities for unscrupulous suppliers to target consumers?

No

• Does the policy impact the information available to consumers on either goods or services, or their rights in relation to these?

Yes. The Funeral Director Code provides transparent information about the minimum standards of funeral director services they can expect, and the approaches they can take to making complaints about a funeral director. However, this information is not specifically targeted at consumers but the broader public.

• Does the policy affect routes for consumers to seek advice or raise complaints on consumer issues?

Yes, it improves these routes. The Funeral Director Code requires all funeral directors in Scotland to have an accessible written complaints procedure. It also sets out the different ways that consumers can raise complaints about a funeral director or the services they have received from a funeral director.