§ Mr. FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children have benefited from the Sure Start programme in Birkenhead; how many children he expects to benefit over the duration of the Sure Start programme in Birkenhead; and what the Government expenditure on the Sure Start programme in Birkenhead will be in each year of its operation. [154403]
§ Yvette CooperAll the 732 children aged under four currently living in the area covered by the North Birkenhead Sure Start programme will benefit from Sure Start. In addition, every new baby born in the area and every family with children under four who moves into the area will also be covered by the programme. Over time, the lessons learned from Sure Start programmes will influence the wider development of services for all children and families, particularly those living in disadvantaged areas.
The programme was awarded £2.4 million over three years. Annual grants allocated for the first three years are as follows:
£ Capital Revenue 2000–01 266,500 394,500 2001–02 421,000 665,400 2002–03 8,000 690,700 Grants for future years will be agreed at a later stage of the programme.A further Sure Start programme in Birkenhead, in the Rock Ferry and New Ferry area, is now in the early planning stages, and is likely to start work in autumn 2001.