§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Northern Ireland social fund discretionary budget will be for 1996–97. [24345]
§ Mr. MossI am pleased to announce that the social fund gross discretionary budget for 1996–97 will be £36.71 million. Some £9.76 million will be allocated to grants; £26.85 million to loans; and £0.1 million will be held as a contingency reserve. The new allocations represent an increase nearing £5 million over the gross budget set at April 1995.
Details of the individual district budget allocations, together with a note explaining the basis on which they have been made, will be placed in the Library today.