Undertakers fear firm will control too much of the market
Bereaved families face higher funeral costs after the government offered one of the biggest funeral parlours another funeral home licence, undertakers have warned.
They say that awarding the licence to Universal Funeral Parlour in Hung Hom will give it more than a third of all funeral homes in the city, enough to influence prices.
The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has offered Universal the tender to run the next-door venue of Perpetual Funeral Parlour, whose licence will expire next month. It says the company met all the conditions and its offer was the highest.
Members of the Funeral Business Association held an urgent meeting last night to discuss possible action.
Chairman Ng Yiu-tong said the department should consider not only the tender price but also the impact of a monopoly. 'It will be very expensive for families whose relatives die in future,' he said after he met 20 other operators.