To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) in how many cases in each Benefit Agency district in Scotland in the most recent period for which data are available, an application for (a) community care grant and (b) social fund loan, met the criteria but was refused because of budgetary constraints;(2) how many applications for help from the social fund for budgetary loans and crisis loans were refused on the grounds of inability to pay; and what that was as a proportion of the total number of
(a) loan applications and (b) loan refusals for each year since April 1988 for each of the Benefit Agency districts in Scotland.
The administration of the social fund is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Henry McLeish, dated 29 April 1993:
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsiblity to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your two recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking (i) in how many cases in each Benefit Agency
District in Scotland in the most recent period for which data is available, an application for (a) community care grant and (b) social fund loan, met the criteria but was refused because of budgetary constraints and (ii) how many applications for help from the Social Fund for budgetary loans and crisis loans were refused on the grounds of inability to pay; and what that was as a proportion of the total number of (a) loan applications and (b) loan refusals for each year since April 1988 for each of the Benefit Agency Districts in Scotland.
Numbers of applications refused on the grounds of insufficient priority by each of the Scottish Districts in the period 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993 are given in Annex A.
In your second question, you seek information for each year since April 1988 for each of the BA Districts in Scotland. This information, which is attached at Annex B, is only available in this form from April 1991 when the Benefits Agency was created and local offices grouped into Districts. For the previous financial year 1990–1991 the information is available on the basis of the then existing DSS local office network. I regret that this information is not available for the previous financial years.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy of this letter will appear in the Official Report. A copy will also be placed in t he Library.
| Annex A | |||
CGCs and Loans refused on grounds of insufficient priority by Scottish Districts, 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1993.
| |||
District
| BLs
| CCGs
| CLs
|
| Clyde Coast and Cowal | 1,729 | 76 | 7 |
| Clyde Valley | 2,141 | 1,623 | 80 |
| Coatbridge | 3,373 | 321 | 34 |
District
| BLs
| CCGs
| CLs
|
| East Lowlands | 2,368 | 481 | 33 |
| Fife | 2,558 | 664 | 19 |
| Forth Valley | 1,996 | 501 | 23 |
| Glasgow City | 1,909 | 652 | 38 |
| Glasgow East | 4,087 | 1,775 | 23 |
| Glasgow Laurieston | 2,819 | 384 | 98 |
| Glasgow Southwest | 1,591 | 399 | 217 |
| Glasgow West | 1,626 | 701 | 22 |
| Grampian and Shetland | 907 | 313 | 11 |
| Highlands and Islands | 913 | 368 | 31 |
| Irvine and Kilmarnock | 2,085 | 180 | 0 |
| Lomond and Argyll | 1,679 | 294 | 7 |
| Lothian Central | 1,425 | 603 | 73 |
| Lothian West | 1,609 | 314 | 194 |
| Renfrew | 1,871 | 181 | 79 |
| South West Scotland | 1,960 | 287 | 24 |
| Springburn and Cumbernauld | 2,502 | 1,465 | 100 |
| Tayside | 3,294 | 950 | 72 |
Key:—
BLs=Budgeting Loans
CCGs=Community Care Grants
CLs=Crisis Loans
Annex B
| |||
Key A = Number of applications refused on grounds of inability to pay
| |||
| B = A as a proportion of the total number of loan applications | |||
| C = A as a proportion of the total number of loan refusals 1990–91 Budgeting Loans | |||
Local Office
| A
| B
| C
|
| Aberdeen North | 87 | 3·1 | 8·9 |
| Aberdeen South | 38 | 2·3 | 6·7 |
| Airdrie | 313 | 7·8 | 26·7 |
| Arbroath | 18 | 1·3 | 3·2 |
| Ayr | 250 | 3·9 | 10·2 |
| Bathgate | 126 | 2·5 | 6·4 |
| Bellshill | 123 | 3·8 | 12·5 |
| Campbelltown | 23 | 4·6 | 11·1 |
| Clydebank | 119 | 3·4 | 9·6 |
| Coatbridge | 156 | 5·2 | 15·6 |
| Cowdenbeath | 35 | 2·1 | 5·5 |
| Cumbernauld | 82 | 2·8 | 9·9 |
| Dumbarton | 123 | 3·1 | 1·1 |
| Dumfries | 66 | 3·3 | 0·8 |
| Dundee East | 74 | 1·7 | 5·1 |
| Dundee West | 58 | 1·5 | 4·1 |
| Dunfermline | 67 | 2·9 | 7·0 |
| East Kilbride | 46 | 2·8 | 8·7 |
| Edinburgh City | 128 | 3·9 | 10·1 |
| Edinburgh East | 87 | 2·1 | 5·3 |
| Edinburgh North | 125 | 3·7 | 9·7 |
| Edinburgh South | 50 | 1·6 | 4·3 |
| Edinburgh West | 58 | 1·8 | 5·1 |
| Elgin | 21 | 1·6 | 4·0 |
| Falkirk | 180 | 3·5 | 8·3 |
| Fort William | 10 | 2·2 | 5·9 |
| Galashiels | 13 | 1·1 | 2·5 |
| Glasgow Anniesland | 144 | 2·5 | 7·4 |
| Glasgow Bridgeton | 189 | 4·0 | 8·2 |
| Glasgow City | 149 | 3·4 | 8·9 |
| Glasgow Craigton | 273 | 5·3 | 16·9 |
| Glasgow Cranstonhill | 23 | 2·1 | 2·9 |
| Glasgow Laurieston | 134 | 2·7 | 9·0 |
| Glasgow Maryhill | 97 | 2·3 | 8·7 |
| Glasgow Partick | 87 | 3·4 | 9·4 |
| Glasgow Provan | 337 | 3·4 | 9·3 |
| Glasgow Rutherglen | 269 | 3·0 | 8·3 |
| Glasgow Shettleston | 311 | 4·9 | 14·0 |
| Glasgow Southside | 271 | 3·9 | 10·7 |
| Glasgow Springburn | 289 | 3·6 | 9·3 |
| Greenock | 146 | 2·6 | 5·9 |
| Hamilton | 216 | 2·4 | 8·2 |
| Inverness | 13 | 0·6 | 1·5 |
| Irvine | 110 | 2·0 | 6·0 |
Local office
| A
| B
| C
|
| Kilmarnock | 135 | 3·7 | 9·8 |
| Kirkaldy | 92 | 2·8 | 7·4 |
| Lerwick | 0 | 0·0 | 0·0 |
| Leven | 31 | 1·6 | 3·3 |
| Motherwell | 95 | 2·1 | 6·2 |
| Oban | 7 | 2·3 | 6·1 |
| Paisley | 133 | 2·2 | 4·9 |
| Perth | 26 | 1·5 | 3·4 |
| Peterhead | 16 | 1·6 | 3·7 |
| Port Glasgow | 176 | 6·4 | 15·6 |
| Stirling | 29 | 0·8 | 1·9 |
| Stornoway | 10 | 2·5 | 7·7 |
| Stranraer | 10 | 0·9 | 1·9 |
| Wick | 5 | 0·7 | 1·5 |
1990–91 Crisis loans
| |||
Local office
| A
| B
| C
|
| Aberdeen North | 5 | 0·3 | 14·7 |
| Aberdeen South | 4 | 0·2 | 11·1 |
| Airdrie | 6 | 0·2 | 2·4 |
| Arbroath | 39 | 3·7 | 7·4 |
| Ayr | 4 | 0·1 | 1·5 |
| Bathgate | 59 | 1·8 | 18·3 |
| Bellshill | 21 | 2·2 | 20·0 |
| Campbelltown | 0 | 0·0 | 0·0 |
| Clydebank | 1 | 0·1 | 16·7 |
| Coatbridge | 28 | 2·3 | 27·2 |
| Cowdenbeath | 2 | 0·2 | 4·7 |
| Cumbernauld | 10 | 0·5 | 23·8 |
| Dumbarton | 2 | 0·1 | 2·0 |
| Dumfries | 8 | 1·3 | 8·9 |
| Dundee East | 5 | 0·7 | 5·7 |
| Dundee West | 2 | 0·1 | 3·4 |
| Dunfermline | 1 | 0·1 | 1·7 |
| East Kilbride | 3 | 0·5 | 11·5 |
| Edinburgh City | 5 | 0·2 | 13·2 |
| Edinburgh East | 6 | 0·4 | 4·3 |
| Edinburgh North | 46 | 2·3 | 16·0 |
| Edinburgh South | 3 | 0·2 | 3·5 |
| Edinburgh West | 5 | 0·3 | 5·8 |
| Elgin | 2 | 0·1 | 9·5 |
| Falkirk | 95 | 4·6 | 55·2 |
| Fort William | 1 | 0·5 | 2·0 |
| Galashiels | 0 | 0·0 | 0·0 |
| Glasgow Anniesland | 33 | 1·6 | 11·7 |
| Glasgow Bridgeton | 46 | 1·5 | 10·1 |
| Glasgow City | 3 | 0·2 | 9·4 |
| Glasgow Craigton | 142 | 4·7 | 44·5 |
| Glasgow Cranstonhill | 15 | 0·5 | 4·8 |
| Glasgow Laurieston | 11 | 0·4 | 7·7 |
| Glasgow Maryhill | 16 | 0·7 | 37·2 |
| Glasgow Partick | 74 | 4·4 | 32·9 |
| Glasgow Provan | 9 | 0·2 | 5·6 |
Local office
| A
| B
| C
|
| Glasgow Rutherglen | 14 | 0·3 | 1·9 |
| Glasgow Shettlestone | 4 | 0·2 | 3·5 |
| Glasgow Southside | 29 | 0·8 | 9·4 |
| Glasgow Springburn | 95 | 1·9 | 12·9 |
| Greenock | 14 | 0·6 | 8·9 |
| Hamilton | 12 | 0·7 | 24·5 |
| Inverness | 17 | 0·7 | 27·0 |
| Irvine | 5 | 0·9 | 20·8 |
| Kilmarnock | 0 | 0·0 | 0·0 |
| Kirkaldy | 4 | 0·3 | 3·1 |
| Lerwick | 2 | 0·9 | 16·7 |
| Leven | 0 | 0·0 | 0·0 |
| Motherwell | 24 | 1·5 | 14·0 |
| Oban | 0· | 0·0 | 0·0 |
| Paisley | 58 | 1·4 | 4·9 |
| Perth | 5 | 0·3 | 5·0 |
Local office
| A
| B
| C
|
| Peterhead | 2 | 0·2 | 12·5 |
| Port Glasgow | 12 | 1·2 | 32·4 |
| Stirling | 3 | 0·2 | 1·0 |
| Stornoway | 0 | 0·0 | 0·0 |
| Stranraer | 6 | 0·9 | 6·0 |
| Wick | 0 | 0·0 | 0·0 |
1991–92 budgeting loans
| |||
District
| A
| B
| C
|
| Clyde Coast and Cowal | 195 | 2·1 | 4·2 |
| Clyde Valley | 1,851 | 2·9 | 7·5 |
| Coatbridge | 726 | 5·7 | 13·3 |
| East Lowlands | 214 | 2·1 | 4·5 |
| Fife | 238 | 2·3 | 4·7 |
| Forth Valley | 221 | 2·4 | 6·1 |
| Glasgow City | 287 | 2·7 | 6·6 |
| Glasgow East | 1,027 | 4·7 | 10·7 |
| Glasgow Laurieston | 457 | 3·0 | 7·9 |
| Glasgow Southwest | 715 | 5·7 | 16·0 |
| Glasgow West | 283 | 3·1 | 7·5 |
| Grampian and Shetland | 144 | 2·4 | 5·3 |
| Highlands and Islands | 106 | 1·9 | 4·7 |
| Irvine and Kilmarnock | 273 | 2·6 | 6·6 |
| Lomond and Argyll | 276 | 3·3 | 7·7 |
| Lothian Central | 423 | 5·3 | 12·7 |
| Lothian West | 217 | 2·2 | 4·6 |
| Renfrew | 219 | 2·3 | 5·4 |
| South West Scotland | 487 | 4·7 | 10·5 |
| Springburn and Cumbernauld | 549 | 4·3 | 9·4 |
| Tayside | 182 | 1·5 | 3·3 |
1991–92 Crisis loans
| |||
District
| A
| B
| C
|
| Clyde Coast and Cowal | 46 | 0·8 | 2·5 |
| Clyde Valley | 32 | 0·8 | 10·9 |
| Coatbridge | 219 | 3·5 | 14·5 |
District
| A
| B
| C
|
| East Lowlands | 32 | 0·5 | 4·8 |
| Fife | 12 | 0·2 | 2·0 |
| Forth Valley | 45 | 1·0 | 15·6 |
| Glasgow City | 25 | 0·3 | 6·0 |
| Glasgow East | 192 | 1·7 | 7·3 |
| Glasgow Laurieston | 67 | 0·7 | 4·8 |
| Glasgow Southwest | 267 | 3·4 | 19·0 |
| Glasgow West | 106 | 2·4 | 15·4 |
| Grampian and Shetland | 14 | 0·3 | 23·3 |
| Highlands and Islands | 20 | 0·3 | 9·1 |
| Irvine and Kilmarnock | 4 | 0·3 | 10·3 |
| Lomond and Argyll | 7 | 0·3 | 4·4 |
| Lothian Central | 119 | 1·9 | 27·6 |
| Lothian West | 123 | 2·2 | 11·5 |
| Renfrew | 82 | 1·3 | 4·9 |
| South West Scotland | 29 | 0·8 | 3·3 |
| Springburn and Cumbernauld | 198 | 2·4 | 13·6 |
| Tayside | 50 | 0·9 | 4·9 |
1992–93 Budgeting Loans
| |||
District
| A
| B
| C
|
| Clyde Coast and Cowal | 114 | 1·2 | 2·7 |
| Clyde Valley | 471 | 3·2 | 8·6 |
| Coatbridge | 851 | 6·3 | 12·8 |
| East Lowlands | 140 | 1·4 | 2·7 |
| Fife | 253 | 2·4 | 5·2 |
| Forth Valley | 269 | 2·9 | 6·5 |
| Glasgow City | 430 | 3·9 | 8·6 |
District
| A
| B
| C
|
| Glasgow East | 1,060 | 5·1 | 12·2 |
| Glasgow Laurieston | 496 | 3·2 | 8·2 |
| Glasgow Southwest | 904 | 7·1 | 20·8 |
| Glasgow West | 313 | 3·4 | 8·5 |
| Grampian and Shetland | 151 | 2·5 | 5·9 |
| Highlands and Islands | 136 | 2·3 | 5·9 |
| Irvine and Kilmarnock | 405 | 3·4 | 8·2 |
| Lomond and Argyll | 250 | 3·0 | 7·5 |
| Lothian Central | 510 | 6·0 | 13·7 |
| Lothian West | 186 | 1·8 | 4·5 |
| Renfrew | 206 | 2·1 | 4·8 |
| South West Scotland | 481 | 4·6 | 10·4 |
| Springburn and Cumbernauld | 586 | 4·7 | 10·8 |
| Tayside | 238 | 1·9 | 4·2 |
1992–93 Crisis Loans
| |||
District
| A
| B
| C
|
| Clyde Coast and Cowal | 28 | 0·5 | 1·1 |
| Clyde Valley | 30 | 0·7 | 6·3 |
| Coatbridge | 188 | 2·6 | 10·4 |
| East Lowlands | 71 | 1·0 | 5·0 |
District
| A
| B
| C
|
| Fife | 75 | 1·1 | 6·9 |
| Forth Valley | 61 | 1·6 | 17·4 |
| Glasgow City | 58 | 0·8 | 8·3 |
| Glasgow East | 226 | 1·8 | 5·4 |
| Glasgow Laurieston | 142 | 1·3 | 7·9 |
| Glasgow Southwest | 318 | 3·5 | 12·4 |
| Glasgow West | 89 | 1·7 | 10·2 |
| Grampian and Shetland | 23 | 0·4 | 25·8 |
| Highlands and Islands | 22 | 0·3 | 7·0 |
| Irvine and Kilmarnock | 3 | 0·1 | 5·5 |
| Lomond and Argyll | 7 | 0·2 | 6·8 |
| Lothian Central | 244 | 3·5 | 13·2 |
| Lothian West | 112 | 1·6 | 5·7 |
| Renfrew | 111 | 1·5 | 6·2 |
| South West Scotland | 44 | 1·1 | 4·4 |
| Springburn and Cumbernauld | 195 | 2·4 | 7·9 |
| Tayside | 67 | 0·8 | 3·9 |