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Social Fund
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the (a) budgeted and (b) actual expenditure on (i) grants and (ii) loans from the Social Fund in the Leaside district in each year since 1990 indicating the number and amount of applications in each case for each year; and if he will make a statement. [25750]
Malcolm Wicks: Since April 1997 the gross discretionary Social Fund budget has increased by £153.1 million from £467.5 million to £620.6 million, an increase of almost 33 per cent. The Community Care Grant budget, previously frozen since 1994 at £97 million, has increased three times since 1998 to its current level in 2001–02 of £103 million. There is no cash limit on the amount a person may apply for initially.
The available information is in the tables.
| Financial year | Number of grant applications | Amount applied for(10) (£) | Annual budget (£) | Amount spent (£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995–96 | 7,508 | 7,288,166.25 | 630,008 | 629,426.43 |
| 1996–97 | 7,305 | 7,581,050.72 | 630,008 | 628,075.05 |
| 1997–98 | 7,330 | 8,006,455.55 | 630,008 | 630,007.46 |
| 1998–99 | 7,340 | 8,240,722.22 | 657,214 | 657,207.32 |
| 1999–2000 | 4,027 | 4,826,411.49 | 636,976 | 635,852.23 |
| 2000–01 | 3,426 | 4,134,400.08 | 644,904 | 644,372.63 |
(10) The "amount applied for" column includes applications which were unsuccessful.
Note:
Reliable data at district level is not available prior to 1995–96.
Source:
Social Fund Policy and Budget Management Information System.
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Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the budget was for the Social Fund in 2000–01; and what the final outturn of expenditure was. [47763]
Malcolm Wicks: Details of the Social Fund budget are in the 'Annual Report by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the Social Fund: 2000–01' and the outturn of expenditure is in the 'Social Fund Account: 2000–01'. Copies of both publications are available in the Library.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many applications for social fund payments have been subject to (a) an internal Benefits Agency review and (b) a review by the Independent Review Service in each year since 1992; what proportion of the reviews was successful; what the average waiting time was for each type of review; and if he will break down the applications by each type of social fund payment. [51044]
Malcolm Wicks: The available information is in the annual reports by the Secretary of State on the Social Fund and the Social Fund Commissioner's annual reports, copies of which are available in the Library.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has for improving the training of Benefits Agency staff who deal with social fund applicants. [51050]
Malcolm Wicks: All staff engaged in administering the social fund undertake comprehensive training. We regularly review this training and it was last updated in January of this year. A further review of training is due to take place at the end of the year.
In addition, guidance on the social fund is regularly updated and social fund awareness training is provided to other staff not directly involved in social fund administration.
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the guidance issued to Social Fund staff on the administration of the Social Fund since 1997. [51048]
Malcolm Wicks: Prior to January 1999 guidance to staff administering the Social Fund was in nine separate guides:
- The Social Fund Guide—Volumes 1 and 2;
The Social Fund System Reference Guide volumes 1 to 7;
The Social Fund Customer and Application Detail Guide;
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The Social Fund Printed Output Guide;
The Social Fund Decision and Review Guide;
The Social Fund Breakdown of Recovery Guide;
The Social Fund Review Officers Guide;
The Social Fund Risk Management Guide; and
The Social Fund Funeral and Maternity Guide.
- The Social Fund Budgeting Loan Guide;
The Social Fund Community Care Grant and Crisis Loan Guide;
The Social Fund Customer Guide;
The Social Fund Enquiry Guide;
The Social Fund Payment Guide;
The Social Fund Recovery Guide;
The Social Fund Regulated Fund Guide;
The Social Fund Review and Complaints Guide; and
The Social Fund Management Guide.
Home Responsibilities Protection
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on the home responsibilities protection for foster carers. [48697]
Mr. McCartney: We regularly receive representations on all aspects of state retirement pension entitlement from a variety of organisations and interested individuals.
New Deal
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people employed by his Department under the New Deal for Young People in each of the last four years have subsequently (a) found unsubsidised employment for more than 13 weeks and (b) returned to jobseeker's allowance or other benefits. [44902]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: Information on the destinations of people entering the New Deal for Young People in all of the Department and its agencies is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been employed by his Department in each of the last three years under (a) the
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new deal for young people, (b) the new deal for the over 50s and (c) the new deal for lone parents; and at what cost, listed by category, to public funds. [44922]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001. Figures before that date are for the former Department of Social Security and the Employment Service.
Such information as is available is as follows.
Information follows on the number of people who have started on the new deal for young people in the Department and its agencies.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1998–99 | 347 |
| 1999–2000 | 207 |
| 2000–01 | 158 |
| 2001–02(11) | 22 |
(11) Up to October 2001
Note:
These figures show people who have joined the Department on the new deal fixed term appointment (NDFTA) programme. They include some people recruited from the new deal for lone parents who also join the NDFTA on entering the Department. These cannot be identified separately.
The Department has also taken on 2,875 new deal jobseekers under its normal recruitment processes. This figure includes people who have been on the new deal for young people and new deal 25 plus and cannot be broken down. People recruited by the Department under the new deal 50 plus cannot be identified separately from new deal 25 plus recruits.New deal recruits take up existing vacancies so extra costs are limited to the subsidy, where appropriate, and any additional training and development which may be needed. The cost of the latter cannot be readily identified. The subsidy cost is approximately £1.3 million.
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many individuals in (a) Alyn and Deeside and (b) Delyn have benefited from the New Deal. [48917]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The available information is in the table.
| Total number of people entering jobs (up to the end of January 2002) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Programme | Alyn and Deeside | Delyn |
| New Deal for Young People | 484 | 359 |
| New Deal 25 plus | 111 | 96 |
| New Deal for Lone Parents | 250 | 218 |
| New Deal 50 plus | 93 | 106 |
Source:
New Deal Evaluation Database
Information at constituency level is not available for the New Deal for Disabled People and the New Deal for Partners.
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