§ Miss LestorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide financial support to victim support schemes in Manchester, after June; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John PattenHome Office grant for local victim support schemes will rise to £5.4 million this year from £4.5 million last year, an increase of 20 per cent. Last 117W year's grant of £328,910 to schemes in Greater Manchester area, mainly for co-ordinators' salaries, is also expected to increase. In addition, the criteria under which grants are administered have been changed for this year to allow running costs as well as salaries to be funded in schemes which would otherwise be at risk of closure because of withdrawal of local authority funding.