§ Mr. SpearingTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what grants he has made in each of the last five financial years to the National Association of Victims Support Schemes; and what assessment he has made of the effect of actual and planned changes in funding by his Department.
459W
§ Mr. John PattenHome Office funding of victim support since 1986 has been as follows:
Local victim support schemes Victim support headquarters Total Annual increase £ £ £ per cent. 1985–86 — 126,000 126,000 — 1986–87 136,000 150,000 286,000 127 1987–88 1.60 million 103,000 1.70 million 494 1988–89 2.55 million 190,000 2.74 million 61 1989–90 3.70 million 210,000 3.91 million 43 This funding has enabled local victim support schemes to expand to cover 94 per cent. of the population of England and Wales with the following effects on provision of service:
Number of schemes Number of paid co-ordinators Number of referrals Number of Volunteers 1985–86 293 133 180,000 3,935 1986–-87 305 151 257,083 4,200 1987–88 294 180 328,174 5,900 1988–89 299 227 400,810 6,292 1989–90 355 300 1420,000 16,800 1 Estimates. For 1990–91 the planned level of grant in aid subject to parliamentary approval is £4.47 million for local schemes and £235,000 for headquarters.