§ 13. Andrew SelousTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State what steps the social exclusion unit is taking to ensure people in poverty in more affluent districts have equal access to Government grants for which local authorities can bid. [49356]
The Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of StateThe Government's approach is to tackle poverty and social exclusion wherever they are found—through delivering high quality public services to everyone.
We have set targets for minimum levels of performance to focus effort on making improvements where outcomes are worst. Examples include a target for 25 per cent. of pupils in every school to achieve five A*-C GCSEs by 2006; and a target for a 25 per cent. reduction in burglary rates by 2005, with no area having a rate three times the national average.