AQW 3064/22-27 Written question to the Minister for Communities

To ask the Minister for Communities (i) how many people have successfully been granted assistance through Discretionary Support, over the last three financial years; and (ii) the total amount awarded to applicants, broken down by constituency.

Asked by David Honeyford MLA on 8 September 2022

  • Answered
  • Written
Tabled
8 September 2022
Answer due by
26 September 2022
Answered
16 September 20228 days after tabling
Department
Department for Communities
Priority question
No

Answer

The number of applications that have (i) successfully been granted assistance through Discretionary Support, over the last three financial years: and (ii) the total amount awarded to applicants is shown in the table below.

Discretionary Support management information does not capture this information broken down by constituency area.

Successful Applications**Total Amount Awarded
2019-2051,820£12.8m
2020-2177,314£19.496m
2021-22*77,622£28.131m

*The management information included in this response while accurate at the time it was provided may change when subjected to final reconciliation/verification checks prior to publication as applicable.

**Data is not collected on number of individual applicants but rather on number of applications, one individual may make several applications and receive multiple awards. Data collected is the total number of applications resulting in an award made and covers all Discretionary Support provisions including Universal Credit Contingency Fund and Self-Isolation grants as well as standard Discretionary Support grants and loans.

Official sources