§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many loans have been granted under the social fund for rent in advance by each local social fund office in each year since the establishment of the fund.
§ Mr. ScottThe administration of the social fund 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. Dafvdd Wigley, 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 loans have been granted under the Social Fund for rent in advance by each local Social Fund office in each year since the establishment of the Social Fund.The Social Fund was introduced in April 1988 and you seek information in respect of each local office. The information is only in this form for the period 1990–91. From April 1991 when the Benefits Agency was created the information is only available by District Office because local offices were grouped into Districts. This information has been placed in the Library under the heading "BENEFITS AGENCY Loans for Rent in Advance from the Social fund".Information was not kept by local office for the financial years 1988–89 and 1989–90. I can, however, tell you that the numbers of loans awarded nationally for rent in advance for those periods were 9,098 and 12,833 respectively.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.