HC Deb 23 March 1989 vol 149 c714W
Mr. Madden

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) from which subhead of his Department's vote the Bradford inner city task force will be funded; what annual budget has been allocated to the Bradford task force; what operating budget the task force will disburse; what are the immediate objectives of the task force; how the task force will assess applications made to it for funding; and by what criteria the task force will consider applications made to it for funding and other support;

(2) if he will consider urgently how he might assist through the inner city task force, those voluntary organisations in Bradford providing training for the unemployed and child care enabling women to undertake employment outside the home;

(3) how many officials he has appointed to the Bradford inner city task force announced on 9 March; what is the salary range of those officials; from which departments they have come; whether any of these officials have belonged to other inner-city task forces; what office accommodation the task force will occupy; and what is the estimated annual cost of renting that accommodation;

(4) if he will direct the Bradford inner-city task force to examine urgently possible funding for voluntary organisa-tions which are now threatened with closure or severe cuts in their funding.

Mr. Forth

My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster announced on 9 March that he intended to establish an inner-city task force in Bradford. I expect it to be operational by the autumn. The expenditure of all inner-city task forces comes from the same vote subheads. Running costs are funded from class V vote 3 subhead B.01, and programme expenditure from class V vote 2, subheads G.01 and I.02. When the Bradford task force is established it will share in the £17 million provided for task force programme expenditure in 1989–90. It will also share the common objectives of task forces which can be summarised as enhancing the enterprise and employability of residents of their areas. No budget can be set, nor more detailed operational objectives established nor other matters determined until the task force has been set up.