§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what systems he will establish for reporting in respect of each Connexions partnership the respective level of funding in cash or kind(a) from partnership members, (b) derived from local non-partnership interests and (c) derived from other Government or European Union programmes. [148933]
§ Mr. Wicks[holding answer 7 February 2001]: The Connexions service business planning guidance published on 23 October 2000 requires partnerships to detail, in then-own plans, the resources that will be available locally to deliver the service. Connexions partnerships will also be required to provide management accounts on a quarterly basis which will include the details of the sources and level of all income received whether in cash or in kind.
§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what action he is taking to ensure that the delivery and funding of the Connexions service(a) respects the integrity of socially excluded young people, (b) reflects the interests of those young people who are not so excluded and (c) delivers a service which seeks to integrate all young people of qualifying age. [148934]
§ Mr. Wicks[holding answer 7 February 2001]: The Connexions service will be a universal service that will provide advice, guidance and personal support to all
768Wyoung people according to their needs. This will be delivered principally through specially trained personal advisers equipped to deal with the broad range of issues and problems faced by young people as they progress through their teenage years. Planning guidance was issued in October 2000 that set out clearly how Connexions would address the needs of the entire range of young people. It asked partnerships to state how they would provide a universal and targeted service, with key dates for implementation and also how partnerships would work with voluntary organisations to reach the hard to help. The aim is to provide a service that meets the needs of all young people during their crucial transition from adolescence to adulthood and working life.
It will be important that future funding arrangements underpin this key aim and ensure that Connexions partnerships have the funding they need to deliver a universal service to all young people according to their needs. That is why we published "Connexions Service Funding—A Consultation Paper" on 15 January to obtain a wide range of views on these important arrangements. The consultation closes on 6 April 2001 and the findings will be published in due course. A copy of the consultation paper can be found in the House of Commons Library.
§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what action he plans to take to ensure that the Connexions funding formula approximates to the local needs of young people, and to verify and refine the accuracy of proxy measurements employed in making such calculations. [148935]
§ Mr. Wicks[holding answer 7 February 2001]: The future funding arrangements for the Connexions service are currently the subject of public consultation. "Connexions Service Funding—A Consultation Paper" was published on 15 January and seeks views on a range of issues including the structure of a funding formula and the proxies that would best capture the needs of young people. In finally deciding which proxies should be used in the funding formula, we will be looking to ensure that the data are robust at local level and that they will be updated at least annually. The consultation ends on 6 April 2001 and a report of the findings will be published in due course. A copy of the consultation paper can be found in the House of Commons Library.
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