§ Mr. PikeTo ask the Secretary of State for social Security how many applications were(a) made and (b) approved for severe hardship allowance in the last 12 months for which figures are available in (a) England, (b) the north-west, (c) Lancashire and (d) Burnley; and if he will make a statement.
547W
§ Mr. BurtThe administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard the chief executive of the 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 Mr. M. Bichard to Mr. Peter Pike, dated 13 July 1993:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many applications were (a) made and (b) approved for severe hardship allowance in the last 12 months for which figures are available in (a) England, (b) the North West, (c) Lancashire and (d) Burnely; and if he will make a statement.The complete range of information you requested is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. This is because statistics relate to Benefits Agency Districts and are not routinely collected to show the number of claims and awards for severe hardship by county or town.I have however, shown below information relating to England, the Benefits Agency's Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale District and the North Western Social Security Region (which existed prior to the inception of the Benefits Agency in April 1991).
Severe Hardship applications, year ending 30 June 1993 Awards Refusals Total Burnley District 569 569 119 688 NorthWest 15,549 3,159 18,708 England 78,265 15,400 93,665 I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this letter will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.