Departments Directions Social Fund Guide

Part 3 - Crisis Loans

Direction 40 - Responsibilities of the Area Decision Makers

The Department directs that

40. The nominated Area Decision Maker must carry out the following functions:

(a) make a planned profile of the level of grants expenditure for the relevant Decision Makers throughout the period of the allocation and monitor actual expenditure against it.

(b) issue, and monitor the effect of, guidance which specifies the level of priority which may be met from the allocations for grants under Direction 4.

(d) on at least one occasion during every month review the planned profile made under paragraph (a), the guidance under paragraph (b) and the information under paragraph (c).

(e) revise the planned profile, guidance and information reviewed under (d) above as is necessary to ensure that actual expenditure does not exceed the planned level of expenditure for the period of the allocation.

(f) notify the relevant Decision Makers of the most recent Northern Ireland baseline figure issued by the Department to be applied when determining the maximum amount available to each budgeting loan applicant under Direction 52 (in order to manage spending of the Northern Ireland loans budget).

(g) notify the relevant Crisis Loan Decision Makers of any Northern Ireland guidance issued by the Department about constraints on the loans budget for crisis loans and monitor their observance of it

4820The Area Decision Maker (ADM) notifies the relevant Crisis Loan’s DMs of any national guidance issued by the Department about constraints on the loans budget for Crisis Loans. See section 36 (2) of the Social Security ( Northern Ireland)Order 1998 and the Instrument of Authorisation and Nomination

See Part 5 – The Budget.

4821-4839

Budget consideration

4840When deciding whether to make a loan:

first take into account all the circumstances of that particular application and the extent of the need
take into account guidance issued by the Department about priorities budget in general and any guidance about constraints on the award of Crisis Loans as the Department may issue (Direction 41)
record all action on SFCS and on the decision form, taking particular care to document the reasons for decisions thoroughly.

4841Higher priority applications should be met first. Lower priority applications may need to be refused.

4842-4849