§ Mr. RammellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the outcome of the evaluation of the Quality Protects Management Action Plans submitted to his Department by local authorities; and if he will make a statement. [118864]
§ Mr. HuttonAll local authorities with social services responsibilities submitted their Quality Protects Management Action Plans (MAPs) to the Department of Health by the end of January. The Social Services Inspectorate has now completed its evaluation of the MAPs, and I have considered their findings. I am pleased to announce that MAPs from all 150 local councils have reached an acceptable standard, with eight assessed as of particularly high quality. I have today written to the chief executives of the authorities to confirm that, subject to Parliamentary approval, they will receive payment of their allocation of the children's services special grant for 2000–01.
The eight MAPs that were assessed as being of particularly high quality were Blackpool, Manchester, Portsmouth, Stockton-on-Tees, Suffolk, Tameside, Westminster and Wandsworth.
Local authorities have made a good start over the past year in implementing Quality Protects, which is making a real difference to the lives of children in need and in particular looked after children. We must maintain that momentum to deliver lasting and continued improvements in the way in which children's services are managed and delivered in order to improve outcomes for our most vulnerable children.