§ Mr. Ronnie CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many social fund applications for(a) grants and (b) loans have been turned down in the local benefits agencies of Blyth Valley, Northumberland since (a) 1992, (b) 1993 and (c) 1994. [13488]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe administration of the social fund is a matter for Peter Mathison, chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Peter Mathison to Mr. Ronnie Campbell, dated 13 February 1996:
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many Social Fund applications for (a) grants and (b) loans have been turned down in the local benefits agencies of Blyth Valley, Northumberland since (a) 1992, (b) 1993 and (c) 1994.Blyth Valley is part of the Benefits Agency district of Northumberland which comprises of the Benefit offices of Ashington, Berwick, Blyth and Hexham. The information is not657Wavailable in the form requested as figures are only available for the Northumberland District as a whole. These are shown in the table at Annex A.I hope you find this reply helpful.
Annex A: Social fund refusals April 1992-March 1995 Year Number of loans refused Number of grants refused Northumberland district 1992–93 2,632 3,309 1993–94 2,710 3,177 1994–95 3,064 3,803 Figures are provisional and subject to change.