§ 14. Mr. Alan HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many severely disabled people have received payments from the independent living (1993) fund; what percentage of its budget the fund has so far used; and how many clients received funding from its predecessor independent living fund in each of the last two years of its existence.
§ Mr. ScottOn 20 January, 108 people had received payments from the independent living (1993) fund and a further 28 cases had been approved for payment. The fund had spent 13 per cent. of its budget. The old ILF made 7,319 new awards in the year 1991–92 and 10,620 such awards in 1992–93. support for those cases continues through the independent living (extension) fund which is now paying 18,500 people at an estimated cost of £120 million in the current year. The 1993 fund is an integral part of the Government's community care initiative. It is therefore inappropriate to compare the performance of the two funds.