The Labour MP said: "We can fix almost anything where there is a determination to do so, but death is final. When a person dies, people are saddened; when a relative or a close friend dies, we are emotional - in many cases, absolutely devastated.
"When we are in such a state of shock and there is no money to bury a relative, we do not have time to grieve properly because we are anxious to avoid the embarrassing humiliation of a funeral without dignity.

"If I can be entirely open, people are not comfortable about discussing matters relating to death. I fully understand their reluctance to do so, as nothing is more emotive than bereavement. Making funeral arrangements is not a simple task: it is complex, but, more importantly, it is costly, and ever increasingly so."

During the debate Mr Clarke, who also represents Coatbridge and Chryston, highlighted specific areas such as accessibility, eligibility
and the level of funeral payments.

He said: "One funeral director told me that one of the biggest problems is when the relatives actually think they are entitled to a payment but don't qualify. It then turns out they are responsible for payment of the total funeral account. In these situations the demeanour of families can be aggressive towards funeral services staff."

He praised local funeral directors the Co-operative Funeralcare, Donald McLaren and Joseph Potts for not demanding a down payment to take a deceased person's remains into their care.

He also praised North Lanarkshire Council for their partnership with Department for Work and Pensions which makes new benefit packs available in registration offices to help people access social fund funeral expenses.

The social fund is the main political concern within the funeral industry as it is capped at £700 and even a simple funeral can often cost more than £1,000.

Mr Clarke said: "I respectfully urge the Minster to conduct a review of the present rate of funeral payments awarded through the social fund, and then to draw a comparison with the average funeral costs."

The parliamentary under-secretary of state for work and pensions James Plaskitt replied: "Although the social fund funeral payment scheme has its detractors - I believe that it plays an important role in social security safety net provision.

"I accept that there are some weaknesses in the scheme as it currently operates, and I am examining ways of addressing them. I hope to be in a position to say more about that in the not too distant future."