§ 26. Mr. HendrickTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what policies his Department has developed to address the needs of the most disadvantaged communities. [143991]
§ Ms ArmstrongThe Government are committed to tackling deprivation and the needs of disadvantaged communities through the Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal. Main spending programmes, which are seen as the key for achieving the greatest impact, have been set new targets to improve the outcomes they achieve in 183W disadvantaged areas and have also received substantial increases for the next three years. Targeted programmes, such as the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, the Single Regeneration Budget and New Deal for Communities, will also play their part. The Action Plan for implementing the Strategy, which was launched yesterday, sets out further proposals for tackling deprivation wherever it occurs, in line with our objective of narrowing the gap between disadvantaged areas and the rest of the country.