Section 168 Allocations from social fund

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 F2(in this section referred to as “section 138(1)(b) payments”) in a financial year.

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.

Allocations—

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

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.

The Secretary of State may give general directions to F7appropriate 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 F8any amounts allocated to them under this section.

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 F10section 138(1)(b) payments.