HC Deb 31 October 1988 vol 139 cc493-7W
Mr. Pendry

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the number of applications received by social security offices from persons in the Stalybridge and Hyde area for a grant or loan from the social fund during the last six months; what is the proportion of these to whom a grant or loan was given; what is the total value of the grants and loans; and what was the total value of single payments made by the offices during the same period in 1987.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The local offices which deal with Stalybridge and Hyde area are Hyde and Ashton-under-Lyne. Information on numbers of applications for social fund loans and grants received, awards made and the total value of such grants and loans, listed by local office, is available in the Library.

For the period starting on 8 April 1987 and ending on 20 October 1987 the total value of single payments made by Hyde and Ashton-under-Lyne local offices was £270,916 and £191,424 respectively.

Mr. Dobson

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security to what extent local social security offices are entitled to issue supplies of social fund claim forms to advice agencies and local authorities; and if he will encourage offices to make the forms available to bona fide agencies and authorities.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Local social security offices are already authorised to issue representative samples of social fund claim forms and social fund application forms to advice agencies and local authorities. I am satisfied that the arrangement is operating effectively. This service has long been an important part of local liaison arrangements, and I do not consider that further encouragement is required at the present time.

To issue other than representative quantities of these forms to agencies would be counter productive as both the forms and the information contained within them are constantly under review.

Mr. Wray

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list all the social security offices in(a) Strathclyde and (b) Glasgow which have so far underspent their social fund budget.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

The 1988–89 social fund budget allocations for each of the Department's local offices, together with records of expenditure to the end of September 1988 are in the Library. Details of the national profile of anticipated expenditure were given in my predecessor's reply to the hon. Member for Derby, South (Mrs. Beckett) on 11 July 1988 at column61.

Budgets are allocated to local offices on a yearly basis and whilst managers profile expenditure for loans and for grants on a monthly basis there is no commitment to spend a specific amount in any given month.

For details of offices in the Strathclyde and Glasgow areas I refer the hon. Member to my reply to him on 24 October 1988 at column 56.

By 30 September 1988 of the offices in the Strathclyde area Airdrie local office had spent its loans budget to the profiled level and in Glasgow expenditure at the offices at Provan and Springburn had reached the projected levels.

In the case of community care grants no office in these areas had achieved expenditure in line with the percentage profiled by 30 September 1988.

Mr. Wareing

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his reply of 24 October,Official Report, columns 61–62, how many vouchers as payment in full or in part for social fund loans made out to a named retailer have been issued by offices of his Department; what has been the total sum involved; how the named retailers are chosen; what consultation takes place with recipients before a decision is taken; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Local offices liaise with and are aware of those local retailers who are prepared to accept vouchers. The decision to issue a voucher to an applicant payable to a retailer is not made routinely. It is an option available to officers where there is good reason to believe that such a course will assist the applicant in the management of their personal finances. Where it is the intention to issue a voucher the reasons for this are discussed with the applicant, as is the choice of retailer.

I regret that the requested information on numbers of vouchers made out to named retailers either in full or in part payment for social fund loans by the offices of the Department could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Social Fund Expenditure on loans and grants for July 1988:
Midlands region Social security offices Loans Grants
Expenditure £ As per cent. of Profile Expenditure £ As per cent. of Profile
Birmingham Bradford St. 19,027.38 64.79 2,250.08 15.29
Birmingham Edgebaston 44,503.69 100.02 10,861.64 47.90
Birmingham Erdington 48,797.77 101.76 18,461.76 78.63
Birmingham Handsworth 81,671.87 110.24 9,220.50 26.61
Birmingham Ladywood 40,766.03 102.24 9,103.21 45.95
Birmingham Northfield 68,770.18 150.91 10,716.93 46.07
Birmingham Perry Barr 38,983.50 118.77 6,566.00 37.56
Birmingham Ravenhurst 21,729.12 86.37 5,967.94 56.91
Birmingham South Yardley 43,496.78 113.12 11,896.44 60.25
Birmingham Sparkhill 12,636.91 65.71 6,540.60 70.20
Birmingham Washwood Heath 49,593.91 116.44 4,951.70 23.26
Boston 5,367.13 52.71 1,952.91 39.69
Burton on Trent 11,406.63 119.33 3,702.92 49.03
Cannock 14,448.37 80.50 1,252.73 13.84
Chesterfield 35,264.46 112.28 5,157.61 31.96
Corby 15,587.29 97.71 2,109.88 26.57
Coventry East 68,041.44 92.22 5,569.79 17.08
Coventry West 32,184.82 81.19 1,014.83 4.83
Derby Becket St. 22,884.38 118.52 7,956.85 94.97
Derby Heritage Gate 12,438.74 105.88 726.04 12.28
Derby London Road 27,103.63 96.71 3,831.87 28.01
Dudley North 35,542.83 88.26 4,920.46 23.48
Dudley South 18,258.78 91.85 4,197.56 43.55
Grantham 10,018.03 94.36 707.30 12.82
Hereford 15,666.24 81.32 3,494.61 42.52
Ilkeston 16,824.21 93.57 3,957.32 45.80
Kidderminster 16,885.50 72.04 277.20 2.50
Leamington Spa 14,051.73 74.88 5,504.34 63.05
Leicester Burleys Way 26,277.18 129.40 4,551.31 44.50
Leicester Lower Hill Street 34,554.67 105.80 4,482.77 27.43
Leicester Norton Street 22,836.52 54.08 6,801.48 35.74
Leicester Yeoman Street 41,272.27 80.77 8,118.89 30.54
Lichfleld 20,710.13 87.77 438.80 3.02
Lincoln Newlands 26,266.08 86.35 3,042.75 20.27
Lincoln Orchard Street 42,458.50 133.13 9,428.56 61.96
Loughborough 8,116.32 47.71 687.82 8.87
Mansfield 25,980.33 79.62 5,924.98 37.88
Newcastle 22,144.88 102.60 1,231.09 11.03
Northampton 22,554.21 67.44 5,327.22 33.61
Nottingham Castle Gate 17,483.51 78.35 7,670.95 53.09
Nottingham David Lane 38,331.78 114.43 7,166.55 43.33
Nottingham Shakespeare Street 50,640.71 137.46 9,489.50 48.45
Nottingham Station Street 37,085.17 113.48 6,543.45 41.62
Nuneaton 28,895.01 113.21 3,551.87 27.91
Redditch 12,372.31 76.43 1,354.10 16.91
Rugby 14,636.23 136.48 2,307.95 53.27
Shrewsbury 15,008.67 59.74 6,805.66 52.32
Skegness 5,517.90 68.89 1,856.52 48.68
Smethwick 36,631.09 77.93 2,122.00 9.35
Stafford 9,620.74 83.92 1,871.44 34.89
Stoke North 53,243.98 140.78 18,095.99 98.46
Stoke South 19,885.65 97.51 4,201.72 43.34
Sutton in Ashfield 15,953.87 101.23 5,356.88 68.20
Telford 40,554.84 96.89 8,136.55 41.91
Walsall East 35,465.64 128.42 4,089.95 27.30
Walsall West 41,005.01 97.57 5,875.20 30.06

Mrs. Beckett

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will publish in theOfficial Report the social fund expenditure of each local office in the midlands region for loans and grants, respectively, and the same figures expressed as percentages of monthly profiles, for July, on the same basis as the information for Northern Ireland offices for April to June given in the answer of 13 July to the hon. Member for Redcar (Mrs. Mowlam), Official Report, columns 249–52.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

[holding answer 27 October 1988]: The information available is given in the table. The figures for July take account of corrections from computer errors in earlier months, and therefore may not be representative.

Midlands region Social security offices Loans Grants
Expenditure £ As per cent. of Profile Expenditure £ As per cent. of Profile
Wellingborough 23,093.08 68.44 5,006.42 43.48
West Bromwich 50,918.17 128.46 6,772.68 28.52
Wolverhampton North 83,483.61 142.16 7,370.80 23.60
Wolverhampton South 49,026.83 90.42 14,918.14 57.94
Worcester 16,331.12 62.87 5,084.38 44.76
Worksop 14,826.22 67.14 3,335.68 31.77