New Social Fund Commissioner Appointed

Mr Karamjit Singh CBE has today been appointed Social Fund Commissioner for Northern Ireland.

The Social Fund was introduced in 1988 and comprises two parts, one regulated and the other discretionary, and provides a safety net for the social security system.

The Social Fund Commissioner is concerned solely with the discretionary part of the fund. This is a scheme of payments by grant or interest free loan to meet the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable in society. The Commissioner has no involvement in the regulated part of the fund which allows for payments for funeral and maternity expenses, periods of cold weather and winter fuel.

As Social Fund Commissioner, Mr Singh will be responsible for appointing and training Social Fund Inspectors and monitoring the quality of the inspectors' decisions.

In welcoming this appointment, Social Development Minister Margaret Ritchie said: "The Social Fund has an important role to play in providing support to some of the most vulnerable people in our society. I am very pleased that Karamjit Singh has accepted the post of Social Fund Commissioner for Northern Ireland, as I believe that his wide ranging experience will be very useful in carrying out this important role.

"At this time, I also want to put on record my thanks to the outgoing Commissioner, Sir Richard Tilt, for the dedication and commitment he has shown during his nine years in post.”

Karamjit Singh CBE said: "I look forward to taking up this role which aims to ensure timely, fair, and consistent decisions in the independent review of discretionary welfare benefits for those in most need."

Mr Singh will be taking up the three year post from 1 December 2009, after stepping down from his role as Chairman of the NHS Trust in the West Midlands and as Commissioner with the Electoral Commission.

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