HL Deb 28 July 1980 vol 412 cc659-60
Baroness PHILLIPS

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.

The Question was as follows:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will give direct encouragement to local authorities and other bodies to provide holiday facilities for children.

The PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY of STATE DEPARTMENT of the ENVIRONMENT (Lord Bellwin)

My Lords, many local authorities already provide holiday facilities for children, often in conjunction with local voluntary organisations and self-help groups. In some circumstances, these holiday schemes are eligible for Government grant-aid.

Baroness PHILLIPS

My Lords, I thank the Minister for that reply. Is he aware that there are still far too many schools, playing fields and other places closed while there are, with working mothers and with one-parent families, millions of children who will be for the next six weeks totally left to their own resources? Would the Minister not agree that it is better to spend money using leisure facilities than having the children get into trouble, when we will subsequently have to spend more money on trying to pick up the pieces?

Lord BELLWIN

My Lords, it is up to each local authority itself to decide in its own area what it needs to do. It might be helpful to the noble Baroness if I were to say that there are grants available under the urban programme, especially in areas of great social need. For example, this summer there will have been just under 280 separate schemes which will have been grant-aided to the extent of about £280,000. But, in the main, it will be for local authorities themselves to decide what they ought to do.

Baroness BIRK

My Lords, does the Minister not agree that, when my noble friend is asking for direct encouragement, she is asking for a little more than was contained in the replies given by the Minister? Does he not agree that during this holiday, when so many parents of the children are unemployed and when far fewer children can be taken away on holiday, there is need for very specific facilities both to keep the children occupied during the holidays and to give them an alternative to going away on a real holiday?

Lord BELLWIN

My Lords, that is precisely why I said that under the urban grants the Government have given some £280,000 this year.

Baroness PHILLIPS

My Lords, I do not wish to seem ungracious, but I think my noble friend has made my point. I was asking for a little more than just a factual reply. I was asking for direct encouragement from the Government, because we all know that local authorities pick up very quickly anything which they feel they are getting directly from above. Before we come to the next long holiday, can we expect something a little more imaginative from the Government?

Lord BELLWIN

My Lords, I am not quite sure what kind of imagination the noble Baroness is really wishing us to show. But if it is in terms of the amount of money—and I suspect that that is what it is—then I should have thought that would relate very much to the resources which are available, and there never seem to be enough of them.

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