§ Mrs. Jane KennedyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the total level of public funding available in real terms to each drug prevention team in Merseyside since the inception of the drugs prevention initiative in 1990; and what will be the total level of public funds available for the new Merseyside drug prevention team for each of the next four years. [31541]
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 3 July 1995]: The total level of public funding available to each drugs prevention team in Merseyside since the inception of the drugs prevention initiative in 1990 was as follows: 289W
1990–91 £ 1991–92 £ 1992–93 £ 1993–94 £ 1994–95 £ Liverpool 46,500 188,000 196,009 193,908 206,627 Wirral — 86,770 185,974 186,597 200,436 The Liverpool team began on 10 December 1990, and the Wirral team began on 30 September 1991.
The total level of funding available to the new Merseyside drugs prevention team will not be known until its programme of work has been settled later this year.
§ Mrs. KennedyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide a breakdown of estimated savings in each category of running costs that can be realised by merging the Wirral and Liverpool drugs prevention teams. [31578]
§ Mr. Forsyth[holding answer 3 July 1995]: The objective in merging the Liverpool and Wirral drugs prevention teams was to make the benefits of the drugs prevention initiative available to many more people, not to make savings in running costs. Independent reviews of the initiative had recommended that the former teams be replaced by larger teams covering wider areas, to increase the opportunities for wider-reaching drugs prevention projects. The new Merseyside team covers all five boroughs of the county.
The comparative running cost figures are: Liverpool and Wirral teams (combined) 1994–95 £ Merseyside team 1995–96 £ Staff costs 153,537 151,228 Accommodation 24,389 32,500 Other running costs 59,225 39,805 Grants 149,871 1— 1 The level of funding available for grants will not be known until the team's programme of work is settled later this year.
§ Mrs. KennedyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is his estimate of the total level of savings that will be achieved in each of the next four years by merging the Wirral and Liverpool drugs prevention teams. [31579]
§ Mr. Forsyth[holding answer 3 July 1995]: The level of funding which the new Merseyside drugs prevention team will have available for making grants will not be decided until its programme of work is settled later this year. It is not therefore possible to estimate at this stage the extent to which there may be savings as a result of merging the Wirral and Liverpool drugs prevention teams.