§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the(a) mean and (b) median time taken for the approval of those Sure Start applications that have been approved. [103026]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 16 December 1999]: Of the 15 local Sure Start programmes approved to date, the mean time taken to approve them from receipt of final delivery plans was eight weeks. The median time was also eight weeks. This included time spent consulting relevant departments centrally and regionally and seeking further information from some local programmes.
16 Sure Start programmes announced at 15 December 1999 Start-point data on low birth weight babies less than 2,500g (unless stated) Admissions to hospital as an emergency during their first year of life with gastro-enteritis, a respiratory infection or a severe injury Birmingham 11% 1— Blackpool 8 babies 1— Bristol 7.28% 1— Copeland 6.5% 1— Derby 62 babies Gastro-enteritis 7, Respiratory infection 19, Severe injury 8 (including one death) Hastings 6% Aged 0–4 years: Gastro-enteritis 23, Respiratory infection 40, Injury (including poisoning) 20 Leicester 2.6% (less than 1,500 g) 1— Manchester 9% 1— Mansfield 12 babies 1— North Tyneside 17.8% 131 admissions to hospital (excluding asthma), 84 for accidental injury and a further 72 seen at A&E for minor ailments Oldham 8.2% 1— Oxford 10 babies 1— Sheffield 1— 1— Sunderland 4.48% Respiratory infection 36, (diagnosis codes J00-J99), Gastro-enteritis 3 (diagnosis codes A084 & A09), Severe injury 0 (diagnosis codes S00-T98 plus a stay of 2 plus days) Thurrock 1— 1— 1 Will be collected by April 2000
§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many of the 60 Sure Start areas correspond to(a) electoral wards and (b) local authority areas. [103005]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 16 December 1999]: Sure Start areas are very much smaller than local authority areas. The majority of Sure Start areas do not correspond to electoral wards, though some do, with others covering a number of wards. We are in the process of mapping the Sure Start areas in a Geographical Information System which will permit a precise answer to this question.
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§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what are the start point data on(a) low birth weight and (b) hospital admissions as a result of serious injury, for each approved Sure Start application. [103006]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 16 December 1999]: The following table shows the start point data for (a) low birth weight babies and (b) hospital admissions as a result of serious injury, gastro-enteritis or a respiratory infection, for the 15 Sure Start programmes approved to date.
§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how each of the 14 indices is weighted when calculating the index of deprivation used in assessing need for Sure Start areas. [103002]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 16 December 1999]: The Index of Local Deprivation contains 12 indicators, to which two further indicators, low birth weight babies and births to teenage mothers, were added specifically for the purpose of identifying Sure Start districts. All 14 indicators are afforded equal weight in calculating the overall index.
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§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of the population of England is covered by the 60 Sure Start areas announced to date. [102199]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 13 December 1999]: It is estimated that 1.8 per cent. of the population of England is covered by the 60 Sure Start areas announced to date.
§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of the population of England will be covered by Sure Start areas by March 2002. [102198]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 13 December 1999]: There will be 250 local Sure Start programmes in place by March 2002. Assuming these are of similar size to the 60 trailblazers, it is estimated that 7.5 per cent. of the population of England will be covered by Sure Start areas by March 2002.
§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the size of each grant awarded to each Sure Start area. [102200]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 13 December 1999]: The total amount of grant currently allocated for 1999–2000 to 2001–02 is£66,205,685. I have placed a breakdown by programme in the Library.