§ Mrs. FyfeTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the full report carried out for his Department by the social policy research unit at York university on the caseloads of local offices of his Department;
(2) whether the research carried out by the social policy research unit at York university on behalf of his Department was based on a study of the caseload of a sample of local offices of his Department; and if he will make a statement;
(3) whether the study carried out by the social policy research unit at York university, on behalf of his Department, covered local offices in areas of particularly high unemployment and, specifically those offices serving Glasgow, Maryhill; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Portillo[holding answer 29 February 1988]: The social policy research unit carries out a number of surveys for the Department. In particular the unit was commissioned to carry out two pieces of work to help with the development of policy on the social fund. One study consisted of a survey of applications for single payments in 1986. The survey covered 42 local offices in a representative sample of areas, some of which would have had above average unemployment. The sample included Glasgow (Southside) but not Glasgow (Maryhill).
The second study was concerned with the reasons for the variation in single payment expenditure between local offices.
Articles based on the work are in preparation. I will arrange for copies to be placed in the Library as they are produced.