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To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress has been made in meeting his Department's targets on eliminating child poverty. - Including ref to Opportunity for all - Fourth Annual Report (Cm 5598) and Measuring child poverty: a consultation document.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

5 June 2003

Reference

116383; 406 c543-4W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the numbers of claimants who experienced a delay in claiming benefits in the last 12 months because the nature of their incapacity prevented them from claiming; and how long the average delay was. -...

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

3 June 2003

Reference

115520; 406 c381W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with other ministers to ensure that no Government strategy impacts adversely on child poverty. - Inc ref to 'Opportunity for all - (the fourth annual report'.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

16 January 2003

Reference

88542; 397 c743W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) discretionary payments on account and (b) crisis loan alignment payments were made to applicants for benefit who faced hardship while their benefit application was being considered in the last four years for which figures are available; and...

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

28 November 2002

For answer on

14 January 2003

Answered on

14 January 2003

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) discretionary payments on account and (b) Crisis Loan alignment payments were made to applicants for benefit who faced hardship while their benefit application was being considered in the last four years for which figures are available; and what the total expenditure was on these payments. [85152] Malcolm Wicks: We recognise that many people making a claim to benefit will be in need of immediate financial support. To avoid unnecessary hardship, discretionary payments on account of benefit (interim payments) can be made where a claim has not been determined but the Decision Maker is satisfied that the basic conditions of entitlement for the benefit are likely to be met. The amount of any interim payment is automatically recoverable from the main benefit when it is awarded. No record is kept of the number or value of interim payments made. Crisis Loan alignment payments can be made to people awaiting their first payment of benefit which is paid in arrears, or their first payment of wages. Crisis Loans made to people awaiting benefit payments will cover their needs until their first benefit pay-day, following which full or interim payments of benefit can be made. In the main, these payments are made to people of working age (as pensioners are generally paid in advance). Information is not collected separately on the number or value of alignment payments made to people awaiting a first payment of benefit. The available information is in the table. The figures show the total number and value of Crisis Loan alignment payments made, including those made to people awaiting payment of their first wage. Social Fund Crisis Loan alignment payments _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Year Number of payments Expenditure (£ million) 1998-99 433,851 20 1999-2000 474,076 23 2000-01 476,936 24 2001-02 486,031 27 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Notes: 1. Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £ million. 2. Awards including alignment payments may include other items. 3. Technical problems with the Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System mean that figures for 1998-99 may be subject to a margin of error of 5 per cent. to 10 per cent. and should therefore be treated as a guide only. Sources: Annual Reports by the Secretary of State on the Social Fund 1998-99 to 2001-02; and the Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Date

14 January 2003

Reference

85152; 397 c604-5W;397 c602-3W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is the average amount by which community care grant payments have fallen short of the amounts applied for in the last four years for which figures are available. - Inc table.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

28 November 2002

For answer on

7 January 2003

Answered on

7 January 2003

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what is the average amount by which community care grant payments have fallen short of the amounts applied for in the last four years for which figures are available. [85159] Malcolm Wicks: The discretionary Social Fund provides help with unexpected or occasional costs which vary widely in their nature and importance, to a wide range of client groups. People applying for community care grants can request any items they wish, whether or not they fall within the scope of the scheme. In deciding whether, and for what items, a grant is payable a balance has to be struck between meeting people's needs and the costs of providing that support from available resources. The available information is in the table. Figures for the average amount requested refer to all applications, not all of which will be successful. Community Care Grants _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Year Average amount initially requested (£) Average amount initially awarded (£) 1998-99 761 343 1999-2000 772 342 2000-01 794 338 2001-02 833 338 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Notes: For 1998-99,and part of 1999-2000, it was possible to make a dual application for both a budgeting loan and a community care grant. For these years the average amount applied for is based on community care grant applications only, while the average amount initially awarded is for both types of application. Dual applications were phased out from 5 April 1999. Source: Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Date

7 January 2003

Reference

85159; 397 c170W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what change in real terms spending power was provided by the cash rise in the community care grant budget from 1997-1998 to 2002-03; and if he will make a statement. - Inc figures.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

85157; 396 c1004W;396 c1002W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will commission research into the impact of Social Fund repayments on the (a) standard of living and (b) indebtedness of recipients of budgeting loans. - Includes ref to Department's Research Report Series, Report numbers 125 and 172, in...

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

85151; 396 c1021W;396 c1019W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will change the rules and guidance for community care grants and crisis loans to ensure that applicants without (a) a cooker and (b) a bed are given a grant or loan. - Inc figures.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

85167; 396 c1005W;396 c1003W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on his Department's response to the recommendations in the report of Policy Action Team 14 on Access to Financial Services on the scope of the Social Fund. - Inc figure.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

396 c1000W;396 c998W; 85180

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the arrangements are for customers to apply for and receive a crisis loan when they live a long way from the office that decides upon crisis loan applications.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

85290; 396 c1005-6W;396 c1003-4W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the standard of decision-making on community care grant applications.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

28 November 2002

For answer on

19 December 2002

Answered on

19 December 2002

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the standard of decision-making on community care grant applications. [85164] Malcolm Wicks: We announced in the PBR that we will be working with the Treasury to improve Social Fund administration and delivery. We already have procedures in place which aim to drive though a continuous programme of improvement in all benefit decision making. As part of the Department's national Decision Making and Appeals quality checking programme, a specialist Social Fund team monitors the quality of decision making on all elements of the Social Fund. The programme is complemented by local quality checks. The primary function of these procedures is to identify trends in decision making which require remedial action and inform staff training and guidance needs. The Independent Review Service for the Social Fund (IRS) provides an impartial review for customers who are dissatisfied with the outcome of their application to the discretionary Social Fund, following an internal review by a DWP reviewing officer. Around 1 per cent. of decisions are referred to the IRS for review. In November 2001, the IRS published a report "Grants Budgets and Decision Making" which sought to explain the relatively high number of community care grant decisions which it was substituting. In response to the report, the Department has made further improvements to the Social Fund guidance for decision makers on prioritisation and budgetary control. The IRS also provides valuable feedback to local offices on the standard of decision making in every case it sees.

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

85164; 396 c1004-5W;396 c1002-3W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will extend the eligibility for community care grants and budgeting loans from the Social Fund to people (a) whose sole income is (i) incapacity benefit and (ii) contribution based jobseekers allowance and (b) who are receiving the maximum...

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

85168; 396 c1005W;396 c1003W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will increase the amount of money available to (a) the Community Care Grant and (b) the Budgeting Loan budget. - Inc figures.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

19 December 2002

Reference

396 c919-20W;396 c917-8W; 85289

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the rules that require family members not on qualifying benefits to pay for funerals, rather than receiving help from the Social Fund; if he will increase the amount of grant available for funeral expenses in the...

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

7 November 2002

Reference

392 c662W;392 c676W; 79179;79180;79211

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will review the arrangements for the granting and collection of Crisis Loans, with particular reference to accessibility in rural areas.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

7 November 2002

Reference

79181; 392 c664W;392 c677W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will ensure that regular statements are issued showing the outstanding balance on budgeting loans; if he will amend the repayment formulae to allow the option of more modest repayment rates; if he will (a) increase the maximum possible...

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

7 November 2002

Reference

392 c664W;392 c677-8W; 79218;79219;79220

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make a statement on his policy on the future availability of Social Fund loans and their extension to a wider group of people on low incomes, with particular reference to (a) providing support to families with children...

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

7 November 2002

Reference

392 c662-3W;392 c676-7W; 79221;79206;79208;79213;79215

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will ensure that, from April 2003, people who qualify for maximum child credit and/or who qualify for Working Tax Credit are eligible to apply for grants from the regulated Social Fund, with particular reference to (a) Sure Start...

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

7 November 2002

Reference

392 c664-5W;392 c677W; 79207

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will change the eligibility criteria to allow people who qualify for the maximum child credit and working tax credit to apply for help from both the discretionary and the regulated Social Fund.

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

7 November 2002

Reference

79178; 392 c663W;392 c677W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Work and Pensions

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will introduce a fast-track scheme to provide interim advance payments to people who appear to have a valid claim to benefit; if he will introduce a fast-track scheme to provide interim advance payments to people who appear to...

Asked by

Patsy Calton (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Work and Pensions

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

6 November 2002

Reference

392 c403W;392 c308-9W; 79187;79217

House

House of Commons

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