§ Mr. FearnTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many Department of Health and Social338W Security offices were unable to make any payments from the social fund on 11 April because they had not received the appropriate forms.
§ Mr. PortilloArrangements were made well in advance to supply all offices with the appropriate forms. I am not aware of any offices that were unable to make payments from the social fund because they had not received the appropriate forms.
§ Mr. StrangTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) how many social fund applications have been received since 1 April in each of his Department's social security offices serving the district of Edinburgh; and, of these applications, how many have been accepted and how many refused;
(2) what percentage of the monthly social fund quota was allocated in each of his Department's offices serving the district of Edinburgh from 1 April to 1 May.
§ Mr. PortilloEdinburgh is served by five local offices, Edinburgh city, Edinburgh east, Edinburgh north, Edinburgh south and Edinburgh west. Arrangements for the publication of data on the social fund were announced in my reply to the hon. Member for Derby, South (Mrs. Beckett) on 6 May, at column656.
§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give details of the criteria for refusal of help from the social fund for(a) claimants, (b) newly arrived immigrants and (c) refugees to the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. PortilloGuidance and directions for the award of social fund payments appear in the "Social Fund Manual", which was published in November 1987. A copy is in the Library.