HC Deb 12 July 1995 vol 263 cc616-9W
Mr. William O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list those Benefits Agency offices which achieved targets for community care grants decisions between I April 1994 and 31 March 1995. [33687]

Mr. Roger Evans

The administration of the social fund is a matter for Mr. Ian Magee, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Ian Magee to Mr. William O'Brien, dated 11 July 1995:

The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about listing those Benefits Agency (BA) offices which achieved their targets for Community Care Grants (CCG) between 1st April 1994 and 31st March 1995.

At present, Social Fund performance is measured against a standard time for processing each type of application. This is based on the time it takes to clear the more straightforward cases. For CCG applications the aim is to process 65 per cent. in the standard time of seven days. To ensure proper emphasis is given to the remaining applications, a secondary measure is set which is 95 per cent. in 20 days.

I have provided, at Annex A, details of the CCG performance of all BA Districts for 1994/95. I am pleased to state that all BA Districts met the primary CCG target.

I hope you find this reply helpful.

Annex A: Community Care grant performance by district 1994–95
District Target: 65 per cent. in 7 days Achievement Per cent. Target: 95 per cent. in 20 days Achievement Per cent.
Bankside 93.20 98.65
Barking and Havering 91.03 98.48
Barnet 91.23 99.38
Barnsley 96.91 99.74
Bedfordshire 83.23 98.39
Berkshire 87.22 96.69
Birmingham Chamberlain 85.31 98.82
Birmingham Heartlands 86.13 98.57
Birmingham North West 93.27 99.10
Birmingham South East 79.75 99.20
Birmingham South West 89.87 98.51
Blackburn and Accrington 88.88 98.34
Blackpool 85.74 98.59
Bolton 91.75 98.42
Bradford 93.64 98.81
Bristol Severnside 78.33 97.59
Brunel 81.39 98.14
Buckinghamshire 92.45 98.70
Burnley Pendle Rossendale 85.16 98.42
Cambridgeshire 88.62 98.27
Canterbury and Thanet 79.07 97.46
Central Derbyshire 89.77 97.95
Central Staffordshire 77.09 98.95
Channel 90.03 97.94
Chesterfield and Worksop 79.30 96.72
City East 83.68 98.47
Clyde Coast and Cowal 92.39 99.35
Clyde Valley 89.99 99.32
Coatbridge 93.23 99.08
Cornwall 85.12 97.70
Coventry1 72.48 94.90
Cynon Merthyr Rhymney Valley 93.24 99.31
Devonia 85.75 97.77
Doncaster 84.47 97.47
Dorset 90.07 98.18
Essex Southwest 92.05 99.37
Ealing1 72.12 94.06
East Lowlands 79.28 96.80
East Nottinghamshire 88.02 98.41
East Sussex 85.63 97.43
East Yorkshire 89.75 99.09
Essex South East 95.24 99.03
Euston1 67.62 94.97
Fife 93.54 99.13
Forth Valley 87.95 99.05
Glasgow City 91.61 98.63
Glasgow East 87.15 98.11
Glasgow Laurieston 91.89 98.97
Glasgow South West 94.90 99.23
Glasgow West 97.18 99.44
Gloucestershire 78.78 98.02
Grampian and Shetland 86.64 98.37
Gwennigion 86.80 98.41
Hackney and Islington 81.45 97.59
Hampshire North 90.24 97.55
Harrow and Hillingdon 89.55 98.76
Hereford and Worcester 83.52 97.15
Highlands and Islands 86.58 98.64
Hounslow and Kingston1 69.91 91.92

Annex A: Community Care grant performance by district 1994–95
District Target: 65 per cent. in 7 days Achievement Per cent. Target: 95 per cent. in 20 days Achievement Per cent.
Hull 91.39 98.64
Irvine Kilmarnock 79.56 97.20
Kirklees 90.35 98.22
Knowsley 80.86 98.37
Lancaster and South Cumbria 85.28 97.77
Lea Roding 85.26 96.92
Leaside 62.55 95.68
Leeds Aire and Wharfe 89.52 98.33
Leeds Ridings 90.45 98.44
Lewisham and Brixton 84.43 97.75
Liverpool Central 92.97 98.97
Liverpool North 85.05 98.45
Liverpool South 83.14 98.40
Lomond and Argyll 89.47 98.24
London Central 94.82 99.31
Lothian Central 92.71 98.73
Lothian West 91.77 99.01
Manchester Central 85.34 97.05
Manchester South 96.48 99.23
Manchester Trinity 81.59 97.97
Mid Wales and Maelor 96.79 99.36
Neasden 72.84 95.43
Newcastle upon Tyne 92.33 99.33
Newham 84.03 96.48
North and East Herts. 90.20 98.12
North Cheshire 93.35 99.04
North Cumbria 73.40 97.85
North Durham 90.61 99.06
North Essex 91.07 98.47
North Gwent and Brecon 94.74 99.44
North Kent 83.80 96.63
North Leicestershire1 81.65 93.48
North Nottinghamshire 86.04 97.94
North Staffordshire 94.17 98.88
North Surrey 84.57 97.57
North Tees 83.50 99.08
North Tyneside 88.67 98.74
North Wales Coast 82.97 96.88
North Worcestershire 95.96 99.51
North Yorkshire 91.44 98.36
Northamptonshire 83.19 97.29
Northumberland 86.74 98.63
Norwich 90.31 98.83
Nottinghamshire West 78.83 97.95
Ogwr Afan Nedd 80.18 98.27
Oldham 88.47 98.01
Oxfordshire 85.88 96.78
Palace 80.77 95.92
Preston 92.80 98.94
Renfrew 85.35 99.10
Rother and Dearne 88.98 99.30
Sale and East Cheshire 90.61 98.66
Salford 86.57 98.28
Sandwell 94.74 99.07
Sefton 91.71 97.99
Sheffield East 87.49 97.26
Sheffield West 81.65 98.60
Shropshire 95.34 99.02
Solent and Forest 81.42 97.43
Somerset 82.33 97.79
South Cheshire 90.20 98.84
South Derbyshire 81.65 97.63
South Devon 88.64 98.06
South Downs 86.29 98.30
South Durham 95.35 99.17
South East Hants, and Wight 76.58 98.59
South Glamorgan 91.21 97.77
South Gwent and Islwyn 90.55 99.34
South Humberside 93.40 98.77

Annex A: Community Care grant performance by district 1994–95
District Target: 65 per cent. in 7 days Achievement Per cent. Target: 95 per cent. in 20 days Achievement Per cent.
South Leicestershire 77.08 97.94
South Tees 81.63 97.74
South Tyneside 86.27 98.54
South West Lancashire 88.95 98.84
South West Scotland 89.80 98.59
South West Thames 84.24 97.23
Springburn and Cumbernauld 87.54 99.50
Stockport 85.64 97.68
Suffolk 85.14 98.02
Surrey Downs 90.96 98.47
Swansea 87.73 98.51
Taff Rhondda 92.19 99.03
Tameside 95.08 99.08
Tayside 82.94 99.53
Thameside 83.85 96.54
Wakefield 85.31 98.18
Walsall 92.92 99.26
Warwickshire 76.83 98.38
Wash Coast 95.05 99.42
Wearside 95.10 99.34
West Herts. 79.80 96.83
West Kent 82.58 96.83
West Lincolnshire 90.62 99.11
West Pennine 96.07 99.49
West Sussex 85.70 98.20
West Wales 92.19 98.31
Wigan and Leigh 76.76 97.61
Wiltshire 72.59 97.00
Wirral 88.04 98.72
Wolverhampton 95.35 99.61
Yorkshire Pennine 84.33 97.62
1 BA Districts which did not meet the secondary target of 95 per cent., clearance in 20 days.

Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people were successful in gaining an exceptional needs payment in the last year of operation of the scheme; and how many people were granted similar payments from the social fund in the last year for which figures are available. [32832]

Mr. Roger Evans

There were 1.1 million exceptional needs payments made in 1979–80, the last year of the scheme. There were 1.9 million awards from the discretionary social fund made in 1994–95.

Mr. Jim Cunningham

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how may(a) claimants and (b) organisations have made representations about difficulty experienced in the repayment of social security loans. [32830]

Mr. Roger Evans

The information requested is not available.