§ Mr. CorbettTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will detail the basis upon which the allocation of social fund grants and loans budgets for 1988–89 to each office of his Department was calculated, showing the relationship between the budgets and the current level of supplementary benefit single payment claims; and if he will place an explanatory document in the Library.
§ Mr. ScottI will arrange for an explanation of the basis of the allocation of the social fund budgets for 1988–89 to be placed in the Library. The current estimate of single payments expenditure in the financial year 1987–88 is £190 million. The national social fund budget for 1988–89 will be £203 million; £60 million for grant, £141 million for loans and £2 million to be held as a central contingency reserve.
§ Miss MowlamTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what his Department's local office annual budgets will be in respect of(a) grants and (b) loans from the social fund for each of the following: Redcar, Eston, Middlesbrough, Stockton and Hartlepool; what the monthly or quarterly expenditure profiles will be in respect of each of these local offices; and if he will issue tables comparing these budgetary periods and expenditure with a single payment expenditure for similar periods over the past four years.
§ Mr. ScottInformation on the allocations for 1988–89 was contained in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Wells (Mr. Heathcoat-Amory) on 4 November at columns774–81. A model profile of expected expenditure on a month by month basis will be drawn up at national 85W level. Local office managers may adjust the national profile to reflect particular local factors. The monthly profile of expenditure for the offices in Redcar, Eston, Middlesbrough, Stockton and Hartlepool will be for the managers of those offices to decide. I will arrange for the information requested on annual single payment expenditure to be placed in the Library.