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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 17 September 2003
WALES
Tourism
10. Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the tourist industry in Wales on promotion abroad of tourism in Wales. [129545]
Mr. Touhig: My right hon. Friend and I work very closely with the First Minister of the Welsh Assembly Government. Tourism is a major focus of our discussions. The tourist industry contributes more than £2.5 billion a year to the Welsh economy and provides employment for around 100,000 people.
Coal Industry (Compensation Schemes)
11. Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent information the Welsh subgroup of the coal health claims monitoring group has received on payments made to retired miners or their families under the respiratory disease and vibration white finger compensation schemes. [129546]
Mr. Touhig: The latest available figures for Wales indicate that at the end of August under the respiratory disease scheme we had settled over 21,000 claims and paid £258.5 million and under the VWF scheme we had settled nearly 10,500 claims and paid £96.4 million.
Affordable Housing
12. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues and (b) National Assembly for Wales Secretaries about the provision of affordable housing in Wales. [129547]
Mr. Hain: This year, Welsh Assembly Government is making available £56.4 million in Social Housing Grant to assist the provision of affordable housing. Together with private funding this will generate investment of over £90 million and provide around 1,000 additional homes for rent and low cost ownership.
Economic Growth
13. Mr. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the prospects for economic growth in Wales in the next 12 months. [129548]
Mr. Hain: Most recent economic indicators show that the Welsh economy is performing more strongly now than for a generation, with unemployment continuing to fall, and employment and economic activity rising.
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Friction Dynamex Ltd.
14. Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Department of Trade and Industry and the Welsh Assembly Government regarding the closure of Friction Dynamex Ltd. [129549]
Mr. Touhig: My right hon. Friend has discussed this issue with colleagues at the Department of Trade and Industry and the National Assembly for Wales. We are all anxious that those workers treated so badly receive their due.
Community Support Officers
15. Mr. David: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Home Office on community support officers in Wales. [129550]
Mr. Touhig: My hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues about matters affecting Wales.
All four Welsh police forces now have funding for Community Support Officers. In July I met a group of CSOs based in my own constituency who are already coming to be recognised as a valuable part of the local policing team.
Departmental Food Expenditure
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent on food by his Department in (a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; what proportion of that food by value was produced in the United Kingdom; what guidance he has issued to encourage the procurement of home-grown food; and if he will make a statement. [129384]
Mr. Touhig: The Wales Office has a complement of 55 and does not provide a catering service for staff.
It is not possible to determine how much of the hospitality budget was spent on food; we always ask catering companies to use Welsh produce where possible.
Health and Social Care
Mr. Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which of the four options to reduce bed blocking outlined in the Review of Health and Social Care in Wales advised by Derek Wanless would require primary legislation to implement. [129674]
Mr. Touhig: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 17 July 2003, Official Report, column 447W.
The Assembly are currently considering all the options outlined in the Review of Health and Social Care in Wales as part of their detailed report and action plan, which is now due for publication in November. It would therefore be inappropriate to comment on the likely need for legislation that may be identified by the Assembly in order to support any proposals detailed in their implementation plan.
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DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Deprivation
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his policy is to assist areas with (a) low average wages, (b) low average incomes and (c) both low average wages and low average incomes. [129157]
Yvette Cooper: The National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal is designed to narrow the gap between the most deprived neighbourhoods and the rest of the country. Low income is a key indicator in the Indices of Multiple Deprivation 2000 used to target resources and focus activity on those areas in greatest need. Policies for neighbourhood renewal include the New Deal for Communities partnerships, the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, Floor targets and the development of local partnerships and community networks.
Government Funding (North-west)
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the Government Office for the North West financial programmes for (a) UK Online, (b) small retailers in deprived areas and (c) CCTV. [128570]
Yvette Cooper: These programmes received the following funding allocations:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| (a) 2000–03 | 25 |
| (b) 2001–04 | 2.8 |
| (c) 2001–04 | 14.4 |
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which wards and programmes within Sefton have benefited from the Government Office for the North West funding programmes for (a) capital investment in housing, (b) major repairs allowance, (c) disabled facilities grants, (d) Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, (e) Community Empowerment Fund, (f) Community Chest and Community Learning Chests, (g) the Objective 1 Programme, (h) the Objective 2 Programme, (i) the Objective 3 Programme, (j) the Community Champions Fund, (k) Pathfinder Young Community Champions Fund, (l) UK Online, (m) Connexions, (n) Connexions Summer Plus, (o) Transforming Youth Work Development Fund, (p) drug and alcohol training, (q) Lifelong Learning Partnerships, (r) Sustainable Development Regional Promotional Budget, (s) renewable energy, (t) Mersey Basin Campaign, (u) building safer communities, (v) Wardens Scheme, (w) small retailer in deprived areas, (x) partnership development, (y) Partnership Support Programme, (z) CCTV, (aa) Target Policing Initiative, (bb) prostitution and (cc) violence against women. [128569]
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Yvette Cooper: Due to the nature of the grants it is not possible to provide specific details of allocated funds at ward level. The following are programmes that have received funding in Sefton:
- (a) £4.852 million (2003–04)—Capital Investment in Housing.
(b) £7.37 million (2002–03) £7.191 million (2003–04)—Major Repairs Allowance.
(c) £713,000 (2002–03) £720,000 (2003–04)—Disabled Facilities Grants.
All the above can be borough wide. Major repairs allowance is only for use on local authority stock.
(d) £12.671 million (2001–04) £16,893 million (2004–06)—Neighbourhood Renewal Fund is not prescribed but intended for spend in the most deprived wards.
(e) £435,423 (2001–04) £290,282 (2004–06)—Community Empowerment Fund for use to set up a borough wide community network.
(f) £651,015 (2001–04) £657,050 (2004–06)—Community Chest.
£128,996 (2001–04) £154,796 (2004–06)—Community Learning Chests.
(g) The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold information on levels of European funding at ward level. Also as the Objective One programme is Merseyside-wide in scope, a substantial amount of programme-funded activity will be delivered by organisations that have a pan-Merseyside remit. A project based in one particular area (often at the organisations head office) will therefore draw beneficiaries, or have benefits, and spend money outside its immediate locality. However, Sefton will benefit from the £160 million invested through Objective One in Merseyside in 2002.
(h) Areas that receive Objective 1 monies are not eligible for either Objective Two or Objective Three funding.
(i) Objective 3—see h.
(j) There are seven Community Champions receiving a total of £7,257.
Current Community Champions include:
Colette Sheerin Oscroft, No. 35—£416; Tony Roberts, No. 63—£1000; lan Mackinson, No. 65—£180 Margi Robinson, No. 73—£1,209; Mary French, No. 74—£457; John Cunningham, No. 76—£2,000; Eileen Green, No. 100—£1,993.77.
(k) Sefton does not receive Pathfinder Young Community Champions Fund as Sefton is not an eligible area. DfES ran a national competitive bidding process which Sefton did not enter.
(l) £261,813 for three UK Online Centres.
(m) £17.4 million (2003–04) for Greater Merseyside Connexions Partnership. It is not possible to provide specific figures for Sefton as the Merseyside Connexions is Merseyside-wide in scope.
(n) £333,000 (2003–04)—Positive Activities for Young People (formally Connexions Summer Plus).
(o) £49,000 (2003–04)—Transforming Youth Work Development Fund.
(p) £22,000 (2003–04) allocation for Greater Merseyside Connexions Partnership-drug and alcohol training.
(q) £75,000 (2003–04) for Lifelong Learning Partnerships.
(r) £500 in 2000 to help the local authority with Local Agenda 21 issues.
(s) Between 1998–2002 Government Office for the North West employed an energy and environmental adviser who visited 87 businesses in the Sefton area promoting environmental management and resource efficiency. This cost GONW approx £9,000.
(t) Details on funding for Sefton are not held by the Mersey Basin Campaign.
(u) Sefton has been awarded £298.5k (2003–04). The initiatives under the Building Safer Communities programme are also being funded in conjunction with £196,745 allocated to Sefton Division under the Basic Command Unit Fund.
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(v) There are no Wardens Schemes being managed by GONW in Sefton at present.
(w) £21,000 (2001–02), £29,000 2002–03, £29,000 2003–04 Small Retailers in Deprived Areas. Match funding has also been obtained for all three years from the South Sefton Partnership and all South Sefton wards have benefited.
(x) £50,000 awarded between 2001–03—Partnership Development.
(y) Allocated on a regional level for 2002–03—Partnership Support Programme awarded six days consultancy to Sefton CDRP to develop a partnership—Training Needs.
(z) £636,000 has been awarded between 2001–03 for CCTV schemes in Crosby Town Centre, Bootle Town Centre, Southport Town Centre and South Road, Waterloo.
(aa) No projects were directly supported in the Sefton area from the Targeting Police Initiative.
(bb) No projects were directly supported in the Sefton area from the prostitution initiative.
(cc) No projects were directly supported in the Sefton area from the Violence against women initiative.
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