§ Caroline FlintTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what specific support his Department has provided to coalmining communities since 1997 by(a) region and (b)local authority area. [154305]
§ Ms Beverley HughesFollowing the report of the Coalfields Task Force in 1997, the Department introduced a range of measures to provide specific support to the coalmining communities. £52 million was allocated to the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to support communities from the coalfield areas of England, Scotland and Wales, to which an additional £45 million has recently been agreed for the Trust in England over the three years to March 2005. In addition, English Partnerships and the Regional Development Agencies are delivering the National Coalfields Programme, for which the Department has provided a ringfenced budget of over £380 million, about £126 million of which has already been committed.
In addition to these coalfield specific programmes, a range of national programmes directly benefit the coalmining communities, including the Single Regeneration Budget, The Housing Investment Programme and the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.
A detailed breakdown as requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.