I am not sure about the about the Rules in the UK regarding 'Trivial Pensions' (even if there are any) but in Ireland, if a fund is under €20K, the pension holder can take the 25% and then take the balance as a once off pension, subject to tax and PRSI. This is provided that the total of all funds available for pension benefits is less than €15K (may have been amended upwards recently(?)).
They should probably contact the pension provider and ask what the options are and if there are concessions regarding the size of the fund.