22 October 2009 – New Social Fund commissioner appointed
Karamjit Singh CBE has today been appointed Social Fund Commissioner for Great Britain by Parliamentary Under Secretary for the Department for Work and Pensions Helen Goodman MP.
Helen Goodman MP said:
"I'm pleased to announce that Karamjit Singh has been appointed Social Fund Commissioner. This important role serves as an independent voice on the Social Fund and Karamjit’s previous work in the public and voluntary sectors will bring a wealth of experience to the role."
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 and will be stepping down from his current roles as Chairman of an NHS Trust in the West Midlands and as a Commissioner with the Electoral Commission. He will continue with his role as the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Ombudsman.
The Social Fund Commissioner is responsible for appointing Social Fund inspectors, monitoring the quality of the inspectors’ decisions, considering complaints from members of the public, taking a strategic overview of how the independent review scheme operates and producing an annual report for the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.
Notes to Editors
Karamjit Singh CBE was appointed Social Fund Commissioner by Helen Goodman MP on behalf of the Secretary of State for the Department for Work and Pensions in a Written Ministerial Statement laid in Parliament today.
It was also announced today that Karamjit Singh has been appointed Social Fund Commissioner for Northern Ireland by the Minister for Social Development, Margaret Ritchie MLA.
The Social Fund Commissioner for Great Britain and Northern Ireland are two separate appointments made under section 37 of the Social Security Act 1998 and Article 37 of the Social Security (Northern Ireland) Order 1998. The Social Fund Commissioner is responsible for the Social Fund Inspectors who provide a second independent tier in the review system that applies to the discretionary Social Fund (following review by the Social Fund reviewing officer in Jobcentre Plus or the Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland). The post has four main responsibilities, namely to:
- appoint the Social Fund Inspectors and administration staff;
- monitor the quality of Social Fund Inspectors’ decisions and give them advice and assistance (including training) to improve the standard of their decisions;
- report annually to the Secretary of State in Great Britain and the Minister for Social Development in Northern Ireland on the standard of Social Fund Inspectors’ reviews and the strategic issues arising from a consideration of the independent review scheme
- consider complaints from members of the public about Social Fund Inspectors and any judicial review legal challenges to their decisions.
The Social Fund has been in existence since 1988 and has a mandatory and discretionary element. The discretionary scheme is a scheme of payments, by grant or loan, to meet urgent needs and requests by applicants. The Independent Review Service (made up of Social Fund Inspectors and other staff) provides an independent process by means of a review for those dissatisfied with the decisions made by DWP staff on the discretionary part of the Social Fund. The IRS deals with cases from all parts of Great Britain – England, Scotland and Wales - and a separate organisation, the Office of the Social Fund Commissioner for Northern Ireland, administers the review system in Northern Ireland.
Karamjit Singh CBE has extensive experience in the public sector. Previous public appointments include investigating suspected miscarriages of justice, judicial training, assessing parole applications, investigating police complaints, regulation of financial services and appointing senior civil servants. He has been actively involved in various voluntary sector issues such as the needs of the aged, health promotion in developing societies and citizenship education for young people.
His previous roles in Northern Ireland include being a Commissioner with the Criminal Cases Review Commission (1997 – 2001) and as a Commissioner with the Electoral Commission (2001 – 2007). He was appointed as the Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Ombudsman in September 2006.
He was awarded the CBE in 1999 for services to the administration of justice.Media Enquiries: 0203 267 5130
Out of hours: 07659 108 883
Website: www.dwp.gov.uk
