§ Mr. CanavanTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what was, for each social security office in the United Kingdom, the number of cases in the current financial year where an application for a community care grant met the criteria but the grant was refused because of budgetary constraints;
(2) what was, for each social security office in the United Kingdom, the number of cases in the current financial year where an application for a social fund loan met the criteria but the loan was refused because of budgetary constraints.
§ Mr. ScottThe administration of the social fund is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Dennis Canavan, dated 18 January 1993:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security about Social Fund applications refused on grounds of budgetary constraints.Details of loans and grants refused on grounds of insufficient priority by each Benefit Agency District are in the attached annex. The figures are for the period 1 April to 30 November 1992 and are the latest available.I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report. A copy will also be placed in the Library.214W
Numbers of Social Fund refusals on grounds of insufficient priority April to November 1992 (latest available data) District Loans Grants Bankside 1,027 169 Barking and Havering 605 340 Barnet 572 165 Barnsley 1,374 510 Bedfordshire 1,025 377 Berkshire 839 258 Birmingham Chamberlain 976 249 Birmingham Heartlands 1,044 60 Birmingham North West 978 487 Birmingham South East 569 142 Birmingham South West 924 351 Blackburn and Accrington 1,034 286 Blackpool 462 15 Bolton 1,160 776 Bradford 1,514 595 Bristol Severnside 1,106 971 Brunel 1,121 366 Buckinghamshire 579 535 Burnley and Rossendale 640 283 Cambridgeshire 870 262 Canterbury and Thanet 430 152 215W
District Loans Grants Central Staffordshire 712 442 Channel 698 194 Cheshire North West and Central 1,174 645 Cheshire South and West 1,146 352 Chesterfield and Worksop 602 347 City East 587 260 Clyde Coast and Cowal 1,346 66 Clyde Valley 1,722 1,258 Coatbridge 2,214 294 Cornwall 836 507 Coventry 1,028 158 Cynon Merthyr and Rhymney Valley 3,082 258 Derbyshire Central 1,179 365 Derbyshire South 484 248 Devonia 621 396 Doncaster 1,688 16 Dorset 723 792 Durham North 1,889 253 Durham South 1,619 18 Ealing 755 241 East Lowlands 1,695 342 East Sussex 340 50 Essex South East 548 346 Essex South West 760 200 Euston 1,859 662 Fife 2,046 475 Forth Valley 1,534 364 Fulham 1,337 955 Glamorgan South 2,345 253 Glasgow City 1,471 447 Glasgow East 2,847 1,161 Glasgow Laurieston 2,061 258 Glasgow South West 1,375 261 Glasgow Springburn/Cumbernauld 1,961 1,023 Glasgow West 1,207 432 Gloucestershire 1,224 436 Grampian/Shetland 647 228 Gwent North and Brecon 926 203 Gwyneddigion 701 74 Hackney and Islington 864 354 Halifax 893 363 Hampshire North 767 188 Harrow and Hillingdon 449 415 Hereford and Worcestershire 472 174 Highlands and Islands 559 273 Hounslow and Kingston 467 333 Hull 2,961 953 Humberside South 1,147 279 Irvine 71,391 135 Kent North 1,661 243 Kirklees 1,247 428 Knowsley 1,536 596 Lancaster and South Cumbria 743 218 Lea Roding 930 317 Leaside 680 256 Leeds Aire and Wharfedale 1,526 631 Leeds Ridings 1,523 397 Leicester North 955 160 Leicestershire South 517 337 Lewisham and Brixton 1,943 814 Lincolnshire East 513 354 Liverpool Central 888 251 Liverpool North 1,179 176 Liverpool South 1,582 815 Lomond and Argyll 1,232 209 London Central 306 114 Lothian Central 1,038 405 Lothian West 1,488 253 Manchester Central 1,194 120 Manchester North 697 385 Manchester South 1,588 797 Mid Wales and Maelor 823 133 Neasden 770 281 Newcastle 2,960 733 Newham 1,129 249 North and East Hertfordshire 501 622 North Cumbria 930 633 North Essex 778 344
District Loans Grants North Staffordshire 1,196 635 North Tyneside 836 210 North Wales Coast 982 513 North Yorkshire 358 205 Northamptonshire 1,018 194 Northumberland 862 117 Norwich 1,242 338 Nottinghamshire East 909 363 Nottinghamshire North 927 372 Nottinghamshire West 968 734 Ogwr Afan Nedd 1,198 44 Oldham 825 522 Oxfordshire 705 123 Preston 864 352 Renfrew 1,451 117 Rother and Dearne 1,260 619 South East Hants and Wight 1,654 298 Sale and East Cheshire 447 156 Salford District 650 177 Sandwell 823 299 Scotland South West 1,432 202 Sefton 1,181 140 Sheffield East 2,036 569 Sheffield West 1,133 527 Shropshire 924 1,073 Solent and Forest 1,117 136 Somerset 380 140 South Devon 1,622 456 South Downs 677 308 South Gwent and Islwyn 1,184 383 South West Lancashire 1,127 161 South West Thames 1,394 519 Stockport 724 251 Suffolk 1,062 715 Surrey Downs 319 22 Surrey North 1,006 340 Swansea 1,012 415 Taff Rhondda 855 198 Tameside 1,061 357 Tayside 2,500 668 Tees North 2,619 673 Tees South 2,493 677 Thameside 972 126 Tyneside South 2,559 291 Wakefield 1,141 525 Wales West 937 250 Walsall 1,277 163 Warwickshire 789 221 Wearside 2,784 471 West Hertfordshire 361 324 West Kent 549 114 West Lincolnshire 1,145 335 West Pennine 1,219 773 West Sussex 570 245 Wigan and Leigh 770 533 Wiltshire 917 421 Wirral 2,064 676 Wolverhampton 752 249 Worcestershire North 830 291 Yorkshire East 410 95