Social Exclusion Unit (Hansard, 3 May 2000)

§ The Prime Minister

[holding answer 20 April 2000]: In December 1999 I announce the findings of the review of the Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) and I set out the following priorities for their work programme: to complete the current programme work to develop the national strategy for neighbourhood renewal, including oversight of the 18 policy action teams; to be closely involved in establishing the arrangements for implementation of the strategy after it is announced in the summer of 2000, and to work closely with HM Treasury and other Government Departments to ensure that the 2000 Spending Review reflects the priority the Government give to tackling poverty and social exclusion.

At the same time I asked the Minister for the Cabinet Office to chair the Ministerial Network on Social Exclusion, which was given a new remit to chase progress across Government on implementation of past SEU reports, as well as acting as an informal sounding board for the unit's future work programme.

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On 12 April, the SEU published a framework version of the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal, for consultation. The framework sets out proposals which aim to arrest the wholesale decline of the most deprived neighbourhoods; reverse it; and prevent it from recurring. The SEU will be consulting on those proposals until the end of June. Then, following the publication of the results of the Government's Spending Review in July, the unit will set out the final strategy and give details of how it will be taken forward.

The SEU is working closely with the implementing Departments on ensuring that the action arising from the reports is carried out, to time. The SEU is regularly reviewing progress against action plans and works with the teams to unblock obstacles to progress both inside and outside of Whitehall.

The unit is also undertaking initial scoping of possible topics for a future work programme, which I will announce in the summer.