§ Mr. BlizzardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the method used for distributing resources to local victim support schemes from the national fund. [31647]
§ Mr. MichaelLast June, we increased Victim Support's annual grant by one million pounds, from £11.7 million to £12.7 million. The additional grant is being used partly to establish a national telephone helpline and partly to assist the general work of Victim Support. In 1996–97 some 11 per cent. of the annual grant went towards the cost of Victim Support's National Office, with the remainder being allocated to local schemes and witness services by Victim Support's Local Funding Panel.
The funding panel is a sub-committee of Victim Support's National Council, and is independent of both local groups and the Home Office. It considers applications from local groups in accordance with grant criteria agreed annually between Victim Support and the Home Office. This means that the allocation of Home Office funds and the priorities which guide that funding are matters for Victim Support.
Many local groups also raise income, in cash and in kind, from local sources, including local authorities.