§ Andrew SelousTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the competitive grant schemes, administered by his Department and its agencies, open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion in this country; and, for each scheme in each year(a) the number of applicants, (b) the number of successful applicants, (c) the total of grants awarded, (d) the number of pages in the application form and (e) if the grant can be used to fund the core costs of the applicant organisation; [22382]
(2) if he will publish a list of the grants made under the competitive grants schemes, administered by his Department and its agencies open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion; [22384]
(3) how many competitive grant schemes, administered by his Department and its agencies were open in each of the last 10 years to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion; [22381]
(4) what estimate has been made of the administrative cost to (a) the state, (b) unsuccessful applicants and (c) successful applicants of the competitive grant schemes, provided by his Department and its agencies open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion; [22385]
(5) if he will place in the Library, a copy of the application form for each of the competitive grant schemes, administered by his Department and its agencies open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion. [22383]
§ Jacqui SmithThe Department does not run any competitive grant schemes aimed specifically at tackling social exclusion. However, most of what the Department does has great potential to tackle social exclusion by improving health and wellbeing. The Department, through the section 64 general scheme, makes grants to voluntary organisations working in health and social care to tackle health issues which in, for example, reducing health inequalities and reaching disadvantaged groups, assist in tackling social exclusion.
The section 64 general scheme is primarily aimed at national voluntary organisations although local projects of national significance can be funded. The degree to which individual section 64 grants tackle social exclusion would be impossible to calculate. Project, core and capital funding is available. Information is not available on the administrative costs of the scheme. A copy of the latest section 64 application form has been placed in the Library. Information on the number of applications received, approved and their total value for 1996–97 to 2000–01 was in the reply given by the Minister of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Barrow and Furness (Mr. Hutton) to the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell) on 25 July 2000, Official Report, columns 501–02W. Information on individual grants in payment is routinely displayed on the Department's 938W website at www.doh.gov.uk/sect64/grants. Information on grants in payment for 2000–01 is currently being amended and will shortly be displayed on the website.
The Department also funds the Opportunities for Volunteering Scheme. Under this scheme we make funds available to 17 national agents (voluntary organisations) to enable them to support local projects involving volunteers in health and social care related activities. A number of these national agents deal with vulnerable groups and a particular focus of the scheme is to provide opportunities for unemployed people to undertake voluntary work.
The 17 national agents deal with applications direct from local projects. Administration costs for applicants are not known but the national agents receive approximately £530,000 per annum to cover administration and project support costs.
In 2000–01 some 487 projects were funded. A copy of the scheme's general notes of guidance 2000–03, which sets out the basic principles of the scheme and the types of applications considered by the 17 national agents, and the Annual Review 2000–01, which provides details of the funded projects, have been placed in the Library.