§ Mr. HoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what have been the figures for expenditure on supplementary benefits, urgent needs provision, maternity grants, death grants and all other benefits which now come under the social fund, for each year since 1974.
§ Mr. PortilloThe social fund is designed as a new system for meeting exceptional need and not as a replacement for those benefits which have now been abolished. The figures requested for urgent needs payment, maternity grants, death grants and single payments are set out in the table, as far as they are available.
33W
£ million Year Urgent Needs Payments Maternity Grants Death Grants Single Payments 1974–75 n/a 16 n/a n/a 1975–76 n/a 16 16 n/a 1976–77 n/a 15 n/a n/a 1977–78 n/a 15 n/a n/a 1978–79 n/a 16 n/a n/a 1979–80 n/a 17 n/a 40 1980–81 n/a 16 17 48 1981–82 n/a 15 17 57 1982–83 n/a 16 17 98 1983–84 n/a 17 n/a 166 1984–85 0.5 17 17 241 1985–86 0.4 17 17 335 1986–87 1.0 — — 330 n/a = not available.