Section 168 | Allocations from social fund

(1)The Secretary of State shall allocate amounts for payments from the social fund such as are mentioned in section 138(1)(b) of the Contributions and Benefits Act (in this section referred to as “section 138(1)(b) payments”) in a financial year.^F1F2

(2)The Secretary of State may specify the amounts either as sums of money or by reference to money falling into the social fund on the repayment or partial repayment of loans, or partly in the former and partly in the latter manner.^F1

(3)Allocations—^F1

(a)may be for all section 138(1)(b) payments or for any description of such payments;^F1F3

(b)may be of different amounts for payments of different descriptions;^F1F4

(c)may be made at such time or times as the Secretary of State considers appropriate; and^F1

(d)may be in addition to any other allocation ...^F1F5

(3A)Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (3)(a), descriptions of section 138(1)(b) payments may, in particular, be framed by reference to—^F1F6

(a)the purposes for which payments are made;^F1F6

(b)the persons by whom payments are made (including where such persons are located);^F1F6

(c)the persons to whom payments are made (including where such persons are located).^F1F6

(4)The Secretary of State may at any time re-allocate amounts previously allocated, and subsections (2) and (3) above shall have effect in relation to a re-allocation as they have effect in relation to an allocation.^F1

(5)The Secretary of State may give general directions to appropriate officers or groups of appropriate officers, or to any class of appropriate officers, with respect to the control and management by appropriate officers or groups of appropriate officers of any amounts allocated to them under this section.^F1F7F8

(6)In this section “appropriate officer” means an officer of the Secretary of State who, acting under his authority, is exercising functions of the Secretary of State in relation to section 138(1)(b) payments.^F1F9F10