HC Deb 15 January 2001 vol 361 cc73-4W
Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the staff complement is of the Children and Young People's Unit located in his Department; from which Government Departments and in what numbers his staff has been drawn; what is the(a) total estimated annual cost to each Department and(b) overall estimated annual cost of the unit; and what arrangements are in place to secure co-ordination with the work of Departments with responsibilities for the unit. [145397]

Mr. Boateng

The Children and Young People's Unit has a total of 26 staff at present. Twelve are from the Department for Education and Employment; four from the Department of Health; two from the Home Office; two from the Employment Service; one from the Treasury; and one from the Department of Social Security. A further four members of staff are new to the civil service, and include two from the voluntary sector. Althea Efunshile, currently the Executive Director for Education and Culture with the London borough of Lewisham, will take up post as Head of Unit later this month. Funding for the Unit is drawn from the £450 million allocation for the Children's Fund and not from individual Departments. The Unit is still at an early stage of its development and it is not yet possible to confirm its annual costs.

The Unit has an inter-departmental steering group which helps ensure effective co-ordination between officials. As my answers to the other questions the hon. Member poses make clear, the new Ministerial Committee on Children and Young People's Services is the guarantor of co-ordination across Government.

Mr. Boswell

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of the time of the Minister of State, Home Office, the right hon. Member for Brent, South (Mr. Boateng), is devoted to the work of the Children and Young People's Unit within his Department; and on whose departmental vote the support costs are carried. [145398]

Mr. Boateng

It is not possible to quantify the proportion of time that I devote to my role as Minister for Young People. However, the remit given to me by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is one of my key priorities.

The Children and Young People's Unit has its own Request for Resources within the Department for Education and Employment's Estimate. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment's answer on 31 October 2000, Official Report, column 369W, sets out in some detail the accounting arrangements.