§ Mr. Simon CoombsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what gross budget will be set for the discretionary social fund in 1997–98. [21652]
§ Mr. Roger EvansThe social fund gross discretionary budget for 1997–98 will be £467.5 million. Some £97 million will be allocated to community care grants, £370 million to loans and the remaining £0.5 million will be set aside as a contingency reserve. The new allocations represents an increase of £27 million over the total gross budget for 1996–97.
Details of individual district budgets allocations are in the Library.