Previous Section Back to Table of Contents Lords Hansard Home Page

Child Protection Registers

Lord Smith of Leigh asked Her Majesty's Government:

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Lord Filkin): The statistical release relating to referrals, assessments and children and young people on child protection registers for the year ending 31 March 2004 was published last month. The release provides summary information that has been derived from statistical data reported by the 150 local authorities in England. All numbers are rounded to the nearest 100.

The data do not point to an increase of numbers of children on child protection registers. There were 26,300 children on child protection registers at 31 March 2004, 1 per cent fewer than a year earlier and 25 per cent fewer than in 1994.

The local authority social services letter (2003)7 Children's Social Services Funding 2004–05 set out the main aspects of the 2004–05 local government finance settlement which is relevant to the funding provided for children's social services. In total, we have provided an extra £90 million this year to support councils in improving their services to safeguard children including responding to the recommendations made in Lord Laming's report and the Joint Chief Inspectors' report Safeguarding Children. No conditions have been attached to this money to enable councils the freedom to choose how to target the extra resources so that they can maximise the outcome for children's services in their area.

Tourism: Business Visitors

Lord Harrison asked Her Majesty's Government:

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Lord McIntosh of Haringey): The percentage given in VisitBritain's annual report represented its own assessment of the potential of the business tourism sector up to 2010. Although VisitBritain acknowledges that the actual outturn could be lower, the report makes the importance of inbound business tourism expenditure
 
9 Dec 2004 : Column WA51
 
very clear. As such, VisitBritain is working to help attract important international business events to Britain as part of its wider marketing activities. This work includes the provision of better information on Britain's business destinations, the joint hosting of events with commercial exhibition and conference companies, and the co-ordination of a British presence at major international business shows.

Tourism: VisitBritain Funding

Lord Harrison asked Her Majesty's Government:

Lord McIntosh of Haringey: This year's grant-in-aid of £48.4 million to VisitBritain is not ring-fenced beyond the designation of £35.5 million for promoting Britain overseas and £12.9 million to lead domestic marketing in England. VisitBritain itself decided to devote £4 million to its European short breaks campaign and £4 million to the first England marketing campaign, Enjoy England.
 
9 Dec 2004 : Column WA52
 

My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport expects to announce decisions on future funding shortly.

Environmental Stewardship Scheme

Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): Subject to European Commission approval of the scheme, our intention is to launch the Environmental Stewardship Scheme next spring. In the first 12 months of operation we anticipate that we will receive around 40,000 applications to join the entry level strand of the scheme. The scheme will be delivered by the Rural Development Service and be supported by a new computer system. The RDS is confident that its planning and preparation, which has included organisational restructuring to enhance levels of customer service, will enable it to respond to the anticipated demand for entry level stewardship efficiently.



   Back to Table of Contents Lords Hansard Home Page