Petition · past parliament
Change the law so that bereaved children get a benefit when a parent dies
Closed
3,759 signatures
What the petition asks
Children should recieve a benefit whether the parents are married or not.
I believe that this is profoundly unfair to date; the higher rate of bereavement benefit currently paid to those with children is in recognition of the costs-emotional, practical and financial-of bringing up children when a
I believe that this is profoundly unfair to date; the higher rate of bereavement benefit currently paid to those with children is in recognition of the costs-emotional, practical and financial-of bringing up children when a
partner has died.
Children themselves have no influence over whether their parents are married or not, so it seems extremely harsh to deprive some of financial support following a parent’s death based on their parents’ marital status.
This is contrary to current understandings of what constitutes a ‘family’ and differs from how cohabitation is interpreted in other Government legislation.
Persons who die still made NI contributions so why does this differ, because of a documentation of marriage.
Children themselves have no influence over whether their parents are married or not, so it seems extremely harsh to deprive some of financial support following a parent’s death based on their parents’ marital status.
This is contrary to current understandings of what constitutes a ‘family’ and differs from how cohabitation is interpreted in other Government legislation.
Persons who die still made NI contributions so why does this differ, because of a documentation of marriage.
Timeline
| 28 Jan 2016 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 28 Jul 2016 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
3,759
Status
Closed
Opened
28 Jan 2016
Closed
28 Jul 2016
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.