AQW 14157/22-27 Written question to the Minister for Communities
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail (i) the amount spent by his Department on the uptake of Discretionary Support grants and loans in the last five years; and (ii) any associated underspend in the Discretionary Support budget over the same period.
Asked by Sian Mulholland MLA on 3 July 2024
- Answered
- Written
- After due date
- Tabled
- 3 July 2024
- Answer due by
- 22 July 2024
- Answered
- 6 August 202434 days after tabling
- Department
- Department for Communities
- Priority question
- No
Answer
My Department publishes an annual report which details Discretionary Support performance and expenditure during each financial year. The report includes the number of applications for Discretionary Support that were awarded and disallowed. The latest published annual reports can be found at: www.communities-ni.gov.uk/publications/welfare-supplementary-payments-discretionary-support-standards-advice-assistance-and-sanctions
Discretionary Support is demand led, all spend is based on eligible applications received. The following table provides details on DS Grant spend against budget over the past 5 years:
| Discretionary Support Grants Spend (exc UCCF) | Discretionary Support Grants Budget (exc UCCF) | Discretionary Support Grants Year End Variance (exc UCCF) | |
| £,000 | £,000 | £,000 | |
| 2019-20 | £8,430 | £13,700 | £5,270 |
| 2020-21 | £11,661 | £13,700 | £2,039 |
| 2021-22 | £18,507 | £13,700 | (£4,807) |
| 2022-23 | £40,285 | £13,700 | (£26,585) |
| 2023-24 | £27,602 | £20,000 | (£7,602) |
Note - The Department's Baseline Budget for DS Grants remains £13.7m. This budget has been topped up over the last three years given significant increases in DS demand. Despite no additional funding allocated, the Department increased the budget to £20m in 2023/24.