§ Ms KellyTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how much the Lord Chancellor's Department has spent since 1997 on(a) marriage support funding and (b) marriage counselling services; and how many people have been helped in each year. [122600]
§ Jane KennedySpending by the Lord Chancellor's Department on marriage and relationship support and research for the financial years since 1997 is as follows: 1997–98: £3.4 million; 1998–99: £3.0 million; 1999–2000: £3.2 million. In line with Sir Graham Hart's recommendations in his report to the Lord Chancellor on Marriage Support Funding (published in November 1999), the allocation is being increased as follows: 2000–01: £4 million; 2001–02: £4.5 million; 2002–03: £5 million.
This spending is currently provided to the central bodies of the main marriage and relationship support and research organisations towards expenses incurred in the development of training and support to local services, including the selection, training and supervision of counsellors, administrative costs and research. The Government do not directly fund the provision of counselling services. It is therefore not possible to calculate precisely how many people are helped in each year.