To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many and what percentage of income support claimants aged under 60 years are repaying social fund loans by deductions from their benefit payments in the London borough of Newham.

[holding answer 19 October 1990]: The table shows the number of social fund loans being recovered from income support recipients aged under 60 at the end of August 1990 and the percentage of recipients in that age group that the figure represents.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will now review his powers on determining the levels of social fund payments; and if he will make a statement.

We have no plans to do so.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many social fund loan applications were refused in (a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole in the financial year 1989–90 and in the present year due to perceived inability to pay; how many of those suffering such a refusal were offered a community care grant instead; and what financial advice was offered to those denied, in the first instance, a loan and a grant;(2) what percentage of applications for community care grants were refused in 1988–89, 1989–90 and in the first six months of 1990 in

The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many and what percentage of households claiming income support are repaying social fund loans by deductions from their benefit payments.

At the end of September 1990 a total of 426,218 social fund loans were being recovered from income support recipients, representing 14·8 per cent. of the total number of income support recipients.