[holding answer 5 March 2009]: There is no separate budget for crisis loans, but rather a combined loans budget for both crisis loans and budgeting loans. The following table gives the final gross loans budget and crisis loan gross expenditure for each of the last 12 years.
£ million Final gross loans budget Crisis loan gross expenditure 1997-98 397.5 54.3 1998-99 404.9 58.9 1999-2000 457.9 61.5 2000-01 524.6 65.3 2001-02 547.7 74.9 2002-03 548.9 84.6 2003-04 578.0 85.1 2004-05 585.0 81.9 2005-06 609.0 86.4 2006-07 700.0 97.9 2007-08 642.0 121.2 2008-09 624.0 1132.6 1 To 31 January. Source: Annual reports by the Secretary of State for Social Security/Work and Pensions on the Social Fund (with greater accuracy for Crisis Loan expenditure than in the annual reports for the first three years obtained from the DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System).
[holding answer 5 March 2009]: The available information is given in the table.
Percentage of applications resulting in an initial award 1997-98 75.9 1998-99 76.2 1999-2000 72.5 2000-01 72.0 2001-02 74.6 2002-03 76.3 2003-04 75.9 2004-05 75.1 2005-06 74.5 2006-07 74.4 2007-08 68.5 April 2008 to January 2009 67.8 Notes: 1. Figures do not include awards made after review. 2. Percentages are based on applications processed in each year, not on applications received in each year. Source: Annual reports by the Secretary of State for Social Security/Work and Pensions on the Social Fund (with greater accuracy than in the annual reports for the first three years obtained from the DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System or departmental records).