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17 Mar 2003 : Column 610W—continued
Government Initiatives
Mr. Maude: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many local branches of (a) Children's Fund, (b) Coalfields Programme, (c) Crime and Disorder, (d) Early Years Development and Childcare, (e) education action zones, (f) employment zones, (g) Excellence in Cities, (h) health act partnerships, (i) health action zones, (j) healthy living cities, (k) Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, (l) New Deal for Communities, (m) Social Inclusion, (n) sports action zones, (o) Sure Start, (p) Single Regeneration Budget and (q) local strategic partnerships schemes have been in existence in each year since their creation; and what the total level of funding allocated to each was, in each year since their creation. [98404]
Mrs. Roche: Some of the information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
A table with details of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund Allocation by region and local authority has been placed in the Library of the House.
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Children's Fund
This is a matter for the Department for Education and Skills.
The Coalfields Programme is a national programme managed by English Partnerships. It commenced work in 1996–97 and has a total budget of some £385 million over 10+ years. The Coalfields Regeneration Trust is a UK wide, grant making body launched in 1999 as part of the Government's response to the 1998 Coalfields Task Force report. It has four offices in England with a total budget in excess of £90 million. Spend to date has been as follows:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 1.6 |
| 2000–01 | 15 |
| 2001–02 | 23.3 |
| 2002–03 | 15 (est.) |
Crime and Disorder
This is a matter for the Home Office.
Early Years Development and Childcare
This is a matter for the Department for Education and Skills.
Education action zones
This is a matter for the Department for Education and Skills.
Employment zones
This is a matter for the Department for Education and Skills.
Excellence in Cities
This is a matter for the Department for Education and Skills.
Health act partnerships
This is a matter for the Department of Health.
Health action zones
This is a matter for the Department of Health.
Healthy living cities
This is a matter for the Department of Health.
New Deal for Communities
NDC is a 10-year programme with a total funding allocation of £2 billion. There are 17 NDCs in round 1 which received allocations for programme delivery from 2000–01 and 22 NDCs in round 2 which received allocations for programme delivery from 2001–02. There are no branches of NDC. The allocations for all NDCs were as follows:
Social Inclusion
While there is a Social Exclusion Unit within the Office for the Deputy Prime Minister, the Unit has no local branches.
Sports action zones
This is a matter for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Sure Start
This is a matter for the Department for Education and Skills.
Single Regeneration Budget (SRB)
1,027 regeneration schemes were successful under the six rounds of the Single Regeneration Budget. Over £5.7 billion of SRB funding was allocated over their lifetime of up to seven years. The names of the schemes with lifetime funding, by each round have been tabled in the House of Commons Library.
Local strategic partnerships (LSPs)
The 2002 survey of all English principle local authority areas found that as of summer 2002 there were:
294 LSPs in operation
35 partnerships functioning as LSPs (though not formally an LSP)
39 LSPs in the process of being formed
1 local authority area with no plans to form an LSP
All LSPs operate on a voluntary basis and are not formally accountable public bodies. Hence, for the most part they cannot receive direct government funding. For instance, the neighbourhood renewal fund is allocated to the local authority but they must collaborate with the LSP to agree how it is spent.
17 Mar 2003 : Column 613W
Homelessness
Ms Oona King: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 19 December 2002, Official Report, column 954W, on homelessness, what proportion of lettings were made available to homeless households in priority need by (a) local authorities and (b) registered social landlords in each Government Office Region in (i) 2000–01 and (ii) 2001–02. [102310]
Mr. McNulty : A further version of the table previously placed in the Library of the House (December 2002), updating data reported for 2000–01 and presenting equivalent data for 2001–02, has been placed in the Library of the House.
Housing
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many households are in rented accommodation in each local authority; and what proportion are in accommodation provided by registered social landlords. [102688]
Mr. McNulty: A table with estimates of the number of households in rented accommodation in each local authority, and the percentage which are in accommodation provided by registered social landlords as at April 2001, has been placed in the Library of the House.
Iraq
Mr. Webb: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the discussions which he has had with fire service (a) employers and (b) unions on contingency plans in the event of a conflict in Iraq and the suspension of (i) action under the current dispute and (ii) proposed changes in working practices. [103470]
Mr. Raynsford: My right. hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has been available to talk to all sides since this dispute began and has met both the employers and the Fire Brigade union on a number of occasions. He has undertaken to keep the House informed of developments.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which regional bodies to which he makes appointments; and which regional bodies require funding through grants from local authorities. [102173]
Mr. Raynsford: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister makes appointments to the five regional Rent Assessment Panels.
It is a matter for local authorities who they choose to support through grants.
17 Mar 2003 : Column 614W
Public Sector Pension Schemes
Mr. Heald: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the local authority public sector pension schemes which are funded; when was the last actuarial valuation of each scheme; what the value was of the assets at the last actuarial valuation of each scheme; and what deficit is disclosed by the last actuarial valuation of each scheme. [103347]
Mr. Leslie: The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is the only funded local authority pension scheme in England and Wales. It is a centrally regulated scheme but is managed and administered locally, in the main, by 86 separate local pension fund authorities who are responsible also for their individual pension funds. The most recent triennial valuation exercise was concluded in 2001. Then, total assets were valued at £85.3 billion with liabilities amounting to £91.5 billion. All the LGPS funds met the specific requirements of the Scheme's regulations concerning solvency, in particular, the need to maintain as constant a rate of employers' contributions as possible.
Regional Governance
Mr. Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish the results from the soundings exercise on the level of interest in each English region in holding a referendum about establishing an elected regional assembly. [103266]
Mr. Raynsford: The Government propose to explain to Parliament their choice of region or regions to undergo a local government review, with a view to holding a referendum, and to publish a summary of the views received during the soundings. We will announce our decision when the Regional Assemblies (Reparations) Bill has received Royal Assent.
Some respondents may request that their response remain confidential. In this instance, such a response would still be included in any numerical analysis of responses, but would not be attributed to the respondent in the summary analysis.
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