Letter: Budgets and benefits

Sir: Philip Boyd is quite right that the case for discretion stretches beyond the Child Support Act (Letters, 30 December). May I assure him that I will continue to make the points he suggests about legal aid and the proposed new incapacity benefit?

However, within current social security law, the main vehicle for discretion is the Social Fund. At present, the amount of new money, over and above recycled loans, going into the Social Fund discretionary budget is only pounds 135m. I hope Mr Boyd will join me in campaigning to increase this sum, and I hope he will also recognise that if middle-class fathers hit by the Child Support Act give up their jobs and go on to benefit, there will be less tax revenue available to meet this objective.

Yours sincerely,

RUSSELL

London SW1

30 December

The writer is Liberal Democrat spokesman on social security in the House of Lords.