§ Mr. MilburnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Falkirk, West (Mr. Canavan), 19 January,Official Report, columns 215–17, regarding the refusal of community care grants and social fund loans if he will provide comparable information for each year from 1989.
§ Mr. ScottThe administration of the social fund is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the 301W Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Alan Milburn, dated 3 February 1993:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Social Fund applications refused on grounds of insufficient priority.Information for the year 1989–90 is not available by local office but you may wish to know that the number of loans and grants refused nationally on the grounds of insufficient priority in that year was 138,997 and 50,342 respectively.Details of loans and grants refused on grounds of insufficient priority for the year 1990–91 by former Department of Social Security local office are at Annex A. Details for the year 1991–92 are given by Benefits Agency District and are at Annex B.The figures should be viewed in the light of the increase in Social Fund applications; from 1989–90 to 1991–92 the number of applications to the discretionary part of the fund increased by 35%.I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report. A copy is also being placed in the Library.