§ Mr. Alfred Morrisasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the agents he has appointed to help administer the opportunities for volunteering scheme, which was announced by the Prime Minister on 27 July 1981, and which he explained in greater detail on 27 May will (a) evaluate applications for grants and decide which project to accept and which to reject, (b) decide the amount of the grant and (c) account for the expenditure on each project.
§ Mr. NewtonThe basic role of agents is to ensure that applications for grants under the scheme conform to relevant criteria, including financial limits. If they do conform, the agent will award the grant applied for, subject, of course, to the availability of funds. It is a condition of grant that the recipient accounts to the agent for the grant. Agents will be reporting regularly to the Department on grants made and committed from the funds allocated to them, and in due course will be submitting audited accounts relating to their function as agents.