§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many of the districts invited to develop programmes for the fourth wave of Sure Start programmes are districts which qualify for funding under the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative. [157116]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 9 April 2001]: All 66 fourth wave Sure Start districts will be able to apply for funding under the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative. All the fourth wave Sure Start districts have large proportions of their population living in wards which are among the most deprived 20 per cent. in England according to DETR's Index of Deprivation. Any area covered by wards in the most deprived 20 per cent. wards in England can apply for funding under the Neighbourhood Nurseries Initiative. Guidance on the two initiatives strongly encourages close and co-operative working between Sure Start programmes and Neighbourhood Nurseries.
§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer of 28 March 2001,Official Report, columns 679–80W, on Sure Start (1) (a) if the information available on deprivation included statistics on the varying levels of 574W deprivation within the borough of Warrington and (b) what assessment was made of health inequalities within Warrington when making a decision; [157176]
(2) what information was available to him on levels of deprivation and health inequalities in the (a) Bewsey, (b) Orford, (c) Poplars, (d) Hulme and (e) Poulton North wards in Warrington prior to making a decision on the fourth wave of Sure Start. [157177]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 9 April 2001]: The Government identify Sure Start areas at the local authority district level using information from DETR's Index of Deprivation on levels of deprivation at the district level. Stakeholders in these districts are then invited to select a local catchment area for a Sure Start programme in that district based on their knowledge about local needs and levels of poverty and disadvantage and the Government's requirement that the area must
largely be covered by wards within the worst 20 per cent. of wards in England according to DETR's Index of Deprivation".The stakeholders would be able to look at more detailed sub-district information, including that on health inequalities, in deciding on the local catchment area.
§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the Sure Start programmes identified to date, indicating the programmes which are located in areas which are among the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged areas as identified by the DETR index. [157117]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 9 April 2001]: The information requested is contained in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries.
§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his answer of 28 March 2001,Official Report, columns 679–80W, on Sure Start, if he will list those districts assessed for the fourth wave of Sure Start programmes; which indices were used to measure levels of deprivation in those areas; and if he will publish the results. [157175]
§ Yvette Cooper[holding answer 9 April 2001]: The information requested is contained in tables, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries.