§ Mr. FisherTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he has taken to publicise the availability of the social fund in advice agencies and social services departments.
§ Mr. ScottAn information pack on the social fund was issued to social services and social work departments, health authorities and a number of voluntary organisations earlier this year. DSS local offices also give information to both statutory and voluntary local agencies about the social fund. Leaflet SB16 "A guide to the Social Fund" is aimed specifically at professional and voluntary advisers and is available from local social security offices.
§ Mr. FisherTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what steps he has taken to publicise the availability of the social fund; and at what expense.
§ Mr. ScottInformation about the availability of social fund payments is contained in a variety of leaflets, forms and posters and also in leaflet SB16 "A guide to the Social Fund". Over £550,000 has been spent to date on publicity material on the social fund.
§ Mr. FisherTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) whether he will publish a table showing the number of(a) social fund applications, (b) social fund rejections, (c) applications for review of the decisions taken by social fund officers, (d) decisions revised by social fund officers on review, (e) applications to the social fund inspector, (f) decisions upheld by the social fund inspector, (g) decisions referred back to the social fund officer by the social fund inspector and (h) applications for judicial review of social fund decisions;
(2) whether he will publish a table showing, for each social fund office in England, Wales and Scotland, the 44W monthly expenditure figures for (a) community care grants, (b) budgeting loans and (c) crisis loans, and indicate for each office the proportion of the projected expenditure which has been spent to date.
§ Mr. ScottInformation relating to items(a) to (g) is contained in the national tables which have been placed in the Library as my hon. Friend announced in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Norfolk, North (Mr. Howell) on 9 November at columns 223–24. There have been no applications for judicial review.
Information on monthly expenditure by local offices and on their individual allocations is also in the Library.
§ Mr. FisherTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of social fund expenditure has been budgeted to replace those situations previously covered by the Supplementary Benefits (Urgent Cases) Regulations.
§ Mr. ScottThere is no separate budget specifically to cover the situations previously covered by the urgent cases regulations. However, for planning purposes the total loans budget allocation of £143 million assumed a sum of £33 million being for crisis loans, which includes an element for situations covered by the urgent cases regulations.