§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding was made to rape crisis centres in England and Wales in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. MellorThe rape counselling and research project receives a grant from the Department of Health and Social Security. The amount of that grant in each of the last five financial years, including supplementary payments, was as follows:
£ 1981–82 10,000 1982–83 20,000 1983–84 26,000 1984–85 23,953 1985–86 22,000 Local rape crises centres are not provided with direct Government funding, but can apply in the same way as other voluntary organisations for financial assistance under various general Government programmes, such as the urban programme. The Department has no information about the funding obtained by rape crises centres under general Government programmes or from local authorities.
§ Mr. Parryasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will now make a grant to the Liverpool rape crisis centre.
§ Mr. MellorFinancial assistance from the Home Office to the victim support movement is confined to a grant made to the National Association of Victim Support Schemes for the purpose of its headquarters operations. My right hon. Friend is considering the possibility of making some limited provision for assisting local schemes36W which help the victims of crime in general, but we regret that we can offer no prospect of a Home Office grant being made specifically to the Liverpool rape crisis centre.