HC Deb 04 February 1993 vol 218 cc281-3W
Mr. Tipping

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the evaluation of the safer cities programme by the Home Office research and statistics department, as it relates to crime rates and the fear of crime, to be completed and published.

Mr. Jack

Evaluation of the safer cities programme is being carried out in two stages: the first uses results from surveys and the second from recorded crime figures obtained from police forces. Surveys have taken the form of before and after studies and are being used to measure any change in levels of victimisation and fear of crime over the period 1990–92. This is intended to provide a snapshot picture of the impact of safer cities action in 11 cities, and is likely to be completed by the autumn of 1993. Police recorded crime figures will be used to look for changes in crime across time. Results from this second stage of the evaluation should be available a little later in the year, soon after which it is expected that publication of findings will begin.

Mr. Tipping

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many safer cities projects he plans to have operating in the financial year 1994–95; and what criteria he will use to select locations for new projects.

Mr. Jack

There are a number of considerations which will affect the pace at which phase 2 safer cities are set up and it is too early to predict the number which will be operating in the financial year 1994–95. We are considering the criteria for the selection of new locations, but among the factors likely to be taken into account will be local crime rates and the readiness of local agencies to work with the programme. I will be looking carefully at projects coming from current urban priority areas which have not yet benefited from safer cities.

Ms. Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason it was decided not to award Stoke on Trent safer city status; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Charles Wardle

When the safer cities programme was launched in March 1988, the 20 project locations were selected from urban programme areas with high crime rates which were aggravated by other social problems, and where other Departments' inner cities programmes were targeted. As Stoke on Trent was not an urban programme area, it was not eligible for inclusion. Plans for the second phase of the safer cities programme are now being drawn up and I have previously undertaken to let the hon. Member have full details as soon as they are available. I made a statement on 7 January which set out the Government's policy on crime prevention, including the future of the safer cities programme. A copy of this statement has been placed in the library.

Mr. Meale

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money each of the safer city projects in the east midlands will receive from his Department in the 1993–94 financial year.

Mr. Jack

There are three safer cities projects in the east midlands, in Derby, Leicester and Nottingham. The projects in Derby and Leicester were set up in the autumn of 1991 and it is intended to maintain their grant allocation at £250,000 in 1993–94 to enable them to support local crime prevention activities. The Nottingham project started in April 1989 and Home Office funding is due to end in March 1994; its grant allocation has been set at £100,000 in 1993–94. Nottingham and the other 15 projects where Home Office funding is due to finish next year will also have access to additional grant money from a central pool of £500,000 to assist the development of continuing structures for multi-agency crime prevention work.

In addition to the sums stated, the Home Office also pays the salaries of the staff and the other running costs of each safer cities project.

The ending of Home Office funding in 16 of the longer established safer cities projects will enable work to be started on a new phase of safer cities in other locations.