§ Mr. George OsborneTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children aged(a) three to six months and (b) six months to one year entered local authority care in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [147911]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThe information requested is given for children who started to be looked after during the year ending 31 March 2002, and for children looked after at 31 March 2002, and is presented in the table.
655W
Children looked after in England aged under 1, year ending 31 March 2002 Age Number of children who started to be looked after during the year ending 31 March 2002 (by age on starting)1 Number of children looked after at 31 March 2002 (by age on that date) All aged under 1 year 3,900 2,300 0–3 months 2,600 390 3–6 months 510 600 6 months–1 year 800 1,340 1Only the first occasion on which a child started to be looked after in the year has been counted.
§ Mr. GrieveTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what discussions the Minister for Children has held with the Lord Chancellor on ensuring the provision of Legal Aid to those who may wish to challenge past decisions to take children into care on the basis of previous cases of sudden infant death in their families; [150086]
(2) what steps he is taking to review cases where children have been taken into care on the basis of previous cases of sudden infant death in their families. [150087]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe Appeal Court announced its judgment in the case of Rv. Angela Cannings on 19 January 2004. I am now studying the judgment carefully, in the light of the Attorney-General's statement on 20 January.
Responsibility for the provision of publicly funded legal services is a matter for the Lord Chancellor.