§ 19. Mr. SedgemoreTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on the policies his Department has pursued to address the problems faced by disadvantaged communities. [148462]
§ Ms ArmstrongThe Government's policies for tackling the problems faced by these communities are set out in "A New Commitment to Neighbourhood Renewal" about which I made a Statement on 15 January, 2001Official Report, columns 27 to 30 when it was published. This action plan, to be implemented by the whole of Whitehall, overseen by the new neighbourhood renewal unit, aims to narrow the gap between deprived areas and the rest of the country so that in 10–20 years no one should be seriously disadvantaged by where they live.