§ Dr. KumarTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what schemes targeting urban regeneration needs are managed by her Department; how much each scheme has available to invest; what issues each scheme aims to tackle; and how much has been spent annually since 1997(a) in the United Kingdom, (b) in Teesside, (c) in Redcar and Cleveland and Middlesbrough councils and, (d) in the Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency. [25480]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonThe Community Legal Service provides a framework for local networks of legal and advice services through which £792 million of core legal aid is delivered in England and Wales. This funding is allocated via contracts granted by the Legal Services Commission on behalf of the Lord Chancellor's Department.
The Partnership Innovation Budget (PIB) is a key element of the Community Legal Service. The PIB, approved in September 2000, provides "seedcorn" funding for new initiatives to improve people's access to 104W legal information and advice, particularly in the most deprived areas. Through competitive bidding it will distribute £15 million over three years. Sixty-four successful PIB bids were announced in September 2001. Proposals covered a wide range of ideas including for example: a virtual law centre; projects to work with health care professionals to bring legal advice to hard to reach groups such as people with mental health difficulties, young and older people, the vulnerable and those less mobile; and a scheme for increasing the availability of trained lawyers in shortage categories of social welfare law.
Successful bids for Teesside were valued £814,775. Bids for Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland were valued at £631,975. Successful bids included: Redcar and Cleveland Citizens Advice Bureau for a developmental education project about management money, basic rights and entitlements; Redcar and Cleveland Citizens Advice Bureau/MIND for delivering advice to people with mental health difficulties; Tees Valley Connexions for a help service for young people; Middlesbrough CAB for delivering advice to people with mental health difficulties; Middlesbrough BC Welfare Rights Unit for benefit advice to older people, Benefits Agency (Tees district) for a one stop advice circle; and Hartlepool CAB for a preventative education programme in Hartlepool.
No separate figure is available specifically for (d) the Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency, but my hon. Friend's constituents are provided for under the schemes as detailed.