HC Deb 05 March 1990 vol 168 cc521-2W
23. Mr. Cunliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to review social fund appeals.

42. Mr. Bill Michie

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to review social fund appeals.

53. Mr. Martyn Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to review the operation of social fund appeals.

Mr. Scott

No. We are satisfied that the appeals system for the regulated part of the social fund, that is, funeral, maternity and cold weather payments, is working well.

24. Mr. Roy Hughes

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many, and what percentage, of social fund loans have gone to pensioners.

Mr. Scott

People aged 60 and over received 21,000 budgeting loans and 3,600 crisis loans in the period April 1989 to January 1990. This represents 4.5 and 0.1 per cent. respectively of loans awarded. In addition, community care grants were awarded in 8,300 cases where a loan had been applied for.

28. Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the social fund refusal rate for the latest available month.

38. Mr. John P. Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the social fund refusal rate for the latest available month.

44. Dr. Marek

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the social fund refusal rate for the latest available month.

Mr. Scott

Details of the individual refusal rates for the three types of payment are in the Library. The overall refusal rate can be derived from the numbers of applications decided and awards made which are also available in the Library.

50. Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to improve the access of people on invalidity benefit to social fund community care grants.

62. Mr. Bradley

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to improve the access of people on invalidity benefit to social fund community care grants.

65. Mr. Cohen

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to improve the access of people on invalidity benefit to social fund community care grants.

Mr. Scott

No. Like single payments, where help could only be given to people entitled to supplementary benefit, social fund community care grants are intended for those in receipt of income support.

67. Mr. Nicholas Brown

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to review local social fund budgets.

Mr. Scott

As a result of our close monitoring of the social fund, I recently announced that an extra £3 million had been made available this year for 106 offices coming under pressure from an increase in demand. We are currently considering social fund allocations to individual offices for 1990–91 and will make an announcement in due course.

74. Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to increase the payment from the social fund in the event of severe weather.

Mr. Scott

No. We believe that £5 is a reasonable amount to pay towards the extra expenses for heating incurred in each week of very cold weather, given that ordinary heating costs are an element in regular weekly benefit.

Mr. Rowe

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he has any plans to ensure that the social fund loans budget become self-financing; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Scott

I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Wakefield (Mr. Hinchliffe) on 29 January atcolumn 35.

Mr. Meacher

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Oldham, West of 26 February,(Official Report, column 589, on the High Court judgment on the social fund, if he will send a copy of the revised guidance to the honourable Member for Oldham, West at the same time as it is placed in the Library.

Mr. Scott

Yes.

Mr. Madden

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will publish the monthly anticipated expenditure profile for the social fund for the year 1990–91;

(2) when he expects to announce the local office allocations for the social fund for the year 1990–91;

(3) when he will announce the formula on which local office allocations for the social fund for 1990–91 will be based.

Mr. Scott

An announcement will be made in due course.

Mr. Madden

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he will be revising the cash limits for he social fund announced for 1990–91.

Mr. Scott

I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Newham, North-West (Mr. Banks) on 22 February 1990 at column894.