§ Mr. BestTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on her Department's funded programme of summer activities for young people. [136650]
§ Estelle MorrisThe Department for Culture, Media and Sport is working with other Government Departments and agencies to deliver the Positive Activities for Young People (PAYP) programme during a 11 school holidays, including half-term breaks. The programme builds on the success of last year's Splash Extra and Summer Plus schemes and aims to reduce youth offending, encourage children and young people to return to education or training and build community cohesion.
PAYP engages young people through arts, sports and educational activities. It is targeted at those young people most at risk of offending or truancy and areas where community cohesion or street crime is identified as being a particular problem.
It will run for an initial period of three years and is fi4nded by the Department for Education and Skills, the Home Office and by the National Lottery through the New Opportunities Fund. The Youth Justice Board is making an in-kind contribution. The funds available for the first year total £25 million and funding for years 2 and 3, to be confirmed shortly, will remain at least at this level. The programme is being delivered through the Government Offices for the Regions who in turn appoint sub-regional Lead Delivery Agents to plan provision according to local need. The most at risk young people receive key worker support to ensure continuity between school holiday periods.
The programme ran in four locations in the Leeds North West constituency and provided a total number of 549 places on 126 activities.
A full evaluation of the effectiveness of the year-round holiday provision is under way and key findings are expected to be available around May 2004. In the meantime initial feedback from the summer and half term programmes—which is still being collated—suggests a high level of take-up of the schemes over these periods and promising associated benefits.