§ Mr. RaynsfordTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the resettlement unit advisory steering group last met; and when the group is next expected to meet.
§ Mr. HagueThe management of the Resettlement Agency is a matter for Mr. Tony Ward, the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Mr. T. Ward to Mr. Nick Raynsford, dated 21 June 1993:
As the Resettlement Agency is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question to him, about the Resettlement Unit Advisory Steering Group, when it last met, and when the group is next expected to meet. This is something which falls within the responsibilities he has delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.The Resettlement Unit Advisory Steering Group last met on 4 April 1990. Since then, much headway has been made by the Agency, in taking forward Government policy to 167W disengage from the direct revision of facilities for single homeless people with an unsettled way of life. Ten units which provided 667 beds have been either replaced or sold by way of grant aid to voluntary organisations, and 852 new beds have been created to replace them. In this way, the Agency has made rapid advances and has not had cause to seek the advice 168W of the Advisory Steering Group since 1990. In view of the progress that has been made, it is, in my opinion, most unlikely that I will need to seek its help in future.I enclose a copy of my latest annual report from which you will see details of the Agency's performance.