§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales why no funding was made available under the urban programme announced recently for additional women's aid posts supported by local authorities; how many posts and current expenditure on women's aid projects will terminate in April 1984; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Wyn RobertsThe urban programme allocations for 1984–85 include a total of £212,748 for Women's Aid schemes. Of that total, £203,791 relates to schemes continuing from previous years and £8,957 for an additional scheme supported for the first time. The allocations did not cover an extension of support for schemes relating to two workers at Pontypridd and one at Swansea, where the normal period of support has come to an end. I shall be considering with the local authorities concerned the future of these projects under urban programme arrangements.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales what has been the total funding made available from his Department to Welsh women's aid in each year since 1974; how much of this funding was under the urban aid programme; how many full-time and part-time posts were engaged as a result of this funding; how many refuges, and in which areas, obtained support; and how many women and children were accepted by each refuge in each year.
§ Mr. Wyn RobertsWelsh Women's Aid was established in 1977 and the following grants have been made available by the Welsh Office:
been enabled to appoint 20 full-time staff and seven part-time. The latest information on the number and location of refueges supported is being collected and I shall write to the hon. Gentleman. The numbers of women and children using each refuge are not collected centrally.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions have taken place between his 791W Department and Welsh women's aid about the transfer of urban aid supported projects to local authority funding; whether he initially considered a transitional arrangement whereby local authorities would gradually assume responsibility for funding projects over a two-year period; and why he has now only made provision for one project to be funded centrally under the tapering arrangements.
§ Mr. Wyn RobertsDiscussions took place between the Welsh Office and representatives of Welsh Women's Aid in 1982 about the long-term funding of its time-expired urban programme projects. As a result of these discussions, the Welsh Office indicated that it would be prepared to consider applying a tapering arrangement to projects which have reached the end of their normal period of support. This arrangement would be conditional upon the local authority or some other agency providing an
Year Applications Submitted Applications Approved Applications Rejected Location of Applications Approved Rejected 1974–75 — — — — — 1975–76 — — — — — 1976–77 3 3 — N. Wales Cardiff & Rhymney Valley — 1977–78 1 1 — Newport — 1978–79 4 3 1 Pontypridd Swansea & N. Wales Newport 1979–80 3 3 — Newport & Cardiff (2) — 1980–81 3 3 — Bangor Neath & Torfaen — 1981–82 4 4 — Déeside Rhondda (2) and Rhyl — 1982–83 8 8 — Pontypridd Torfaen (2) Cardiff Afan Neath Dyfed & N. Powys — 1983–84 4 4 — N. Gwent Merthyr Cardiff & Neath — For 1984–85 applications for expenditure on projects at Newport and Torfaen have been approved. We are considering representations in respect of schemes at Pontypridd and Swansea which have reached the end of their normal period of support. A proposal for funding a worker at a new refuge in Llanelli and additional expenditure on existing schemes at Rhyl, Dyfed, Deeside, North Powys, Newport and in the Rhondda did not find a place in the programme.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales if his policy towards the voluntary sector of social service provision in Wales excludes additional funding for Welsh women's aid; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Wyn RobertsNo. Applications for additional funding are considered on their merits alongside competing demands on the resources available.
792Wassurance that once the tapering arrangement ended that they would assume the long-term funding of the project. It was emphasised though that there could be no guarantee that any schemes submitted for such a tapering arrangement would be approved. We are considering whether any further projects can be included under this arrangement.
§ Mr. D. E. Thomasasked the Secretary of State for Wales how many women's aid projects were the subject of urban aid applications to his Department in each year since 1974; how many were accepted and how many were rejected; and if he will indicate the location of those proposed and approved projects in urban and rural Wales.
§ Mr. John Stradling ThomasInformation for the period 1974–75 to 1983–84 is set out in the following table:—