Lord Lucasasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there is sufficient provision of youth clubs and similar facilities in the UK, and, if not, what they propose to do about it.
§ Baroness BlackstoneLocal authorities in England, Wales and Scotland are responsible for the provision of youth services in their areas. Her Majesty's Government are taking forward proposals for an audit of youth service provision in England and are considering a similar audit in Wales. This will provide definitive, up-to-date information to inform central and local government's strategic long-term plans for the service. There are no plans for a similar audit in Scotland, but Scotland has a strong youth sector with a wide range of facilities in most communities run either by the statutory or voluntary sector. Youth work provision within the statutory sector is reviewed on a10WA regular basis. In Northern Ireland the responsibility for ensuring adequate facilities of this sort rests with the education and library boards.