§ Mr. AllenTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services, further to his reply of 27 November,Official Report, column 154, who is responsible for setting his priority of community care grant clients' needs.
§ Mr. ScottThe Secretary of State's general guidance on priorities and priority groups is in the social fund manual, a copy of which is in the Library. As I explained in my previous reply, local office managers give social fund officers further guidance on priorities taking account of local circumstances. Guidance is not binding on social fund officers. Each case must be considered on its merits. A social fund officer may decide, for example, that an item normally classed as of low priority should, in the light of the applicant's circumstances, be treated as high priority.