§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the balance outstanding for(a) grants and (b) loans from the social fund at the most recent available date in the district covering the Stoke on Trent, North parliamentary constituency; if he will give a breakdown by reason of the number of grant and loan applications refused since 1 April 1992 for that district; how many review applications were received by that district; and how many of them resulted in a changed decision.
§ 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 David Riggs to Ms Joan Walley, dated 29 March 1993:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is the responsibility of Michael Bichard to answer questions about relevant operational matters. However, as Mr. Bichard is away at the moment I am replying on his behalf to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking what was the balance outstanding for (a) grants and (b) loans from the Social Fund at the most recent available date in the District covering the Stoke on Trent North parliamentary constituency; if he will give a breakdown by reason of the number of grant and loan applications refused since 1st April 1992 for that district; how many review applications were received by that district; and how many of them resulted in a changed decision.
The following details are provided for the Benefits Agency's North Staffordshire District which deals with your constituency.
The outstanding balance of the District Social Fund allocation at 28 February 1993, the latest date for which figures are available, was £66,912 for grants and £113,528 for loans.
Details of the numbers of grant and loan applications refused and of reasons for refusal are given at Appendix A.
During the period 1 April 1992 to 28 February 1993, 2,658 review applications were received by North Staffordshire District. Of these, 852 resulted in a changed decision.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this letter will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
Appendix A Details of Grant and Loan Refusals for North Staffordshire District 1 April 1992–28 February 1993 (Latest available data) Reason for Refusal Grants Loans Not in receipt of Income Support (IS) 465 377 In receipt of IS for less than 26 weeks — 1,326 Direction 4 not satisfied 4,256 — Applicant excluded by Direction 9 11 No serious risk to health or safety — 132 Requested amount below minimum allowable 28 114 Previous decision for same item(s) within 26 weeks 249 292 Item excluded by Direction 167 203 Alternative item available 4 12 Help available from another source 25 25 Grant awarded on loan request — 271 Savings over £500 meet cost 14 5 Savings over £1,000 meet cost (customer or partner over 60) 9 3 Enough money available to meet crisis — 5 Total debt exceeds £1,000 — 17 Inability to repay — 229 Insufficient priority 969 1,575 Other reasons 25 75 Note: Secretary of State's Directions are listed in the Social Fund Guide, a copy of which is in the Library.