§ Mr. Pike
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money was lent on social fund loans at the last date for which figures are available; how many people have such loans; what is the average loan at the time of issue; what is the average repayment period; and what assessment has been made of the take-up of these loans over the past two years. 
§ Mr. Roger Evans
The information is set out in the tables:
April 1996–January 1997 Budgeting loans Crisis loans Number of awards 767,000 644,000 Total amount awarded £231 million £43 million Average payment1 £301 £66 Average length of repayment for loan repaid during this period 22.7 weeks 14.5 weeks 1 Figures may not sum due to rounding. 1. The number of discretionary awards made after review is not included.
The overall performance of the social fund is constantly monitored and the results of this monitoring are used to inform the budget allocations each year.
Number of loans made over the last two years Year Budgeting loan Crisis loan 1994–95 864,000 755,000 1995–96 921,000 832,000