asked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) if he will consult and invite comments from those voluntary organisations which provide residential and other services for supplementary benefit recipients when he publishes his consultation document on the social fund; and if he will make a statement;(2) if he will consult the voluntary organisations representing single parents, the homeless, the elderly, the disabled and the poor and invite their comments when he publishes his consultation document on the social fund; and if he will make a statement.

It is our intention to send the draft guidelines on which social fund officers will operate the social fund for comment or information to a limited number of organisations, which would cover all the interest groups identified, shortly.