Refuges (Hansard, 12 March 2002)

§ Margaret Moran
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list those local authorities which have refuges which are(a) 100 per cent. funded and (b) part-funded by his Department; and if he will list other sources of funding and limits which apply. [41671]

§ Ms Keeble
This Department does not fund refuge provision directly.
Refuge accommodation is mainly owned by registered social landlords (57 per cent.) and local housing authorities (32 per cent.). Most of the remainder are owned by refuge groups and the private sector.
Revenue support for refuges is provided principally through transitional housing benefit, social housing management grant, local authority funding plus a range of charitable sources.
The Department does not hold information about the funding of refuges in individual local authority areas.

§ Margaret Moran
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list those local authorities which(a) have refuge provision at the rate of one place per 10,000 of population and (b) do not meet this target. [41667]

§ Ms Keeble
There is no target for refuge provision.
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There is a best value performance indicator, (BVPI 176) which is—"the number of domestic violence refuge places per 10,000 population, which are provided or supported by the authority". Local authorities are required to set their own performance target against this indicator, which appeared in the indicator set for the first time in 2001–02 and remains in the 2002–03 set of BVPIs. No data on local authority performance against this indicator are available yet; local authorities will provide their performance data for BVPI 176 to the Audit Commission for 2001–02 after 31 March 2002. The data will then be audited and will be available in autumn 2002.

§ Margaret Moran
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will list per(a) constituency, (b) local authority area and (c) region those areas which have refuge provision which does not meet the target of one place per 10,000 population as recommended in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. [41672]

§ Ms Keeble
There is no target for refuge provision contained in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998.
There is a best value performance indicator, (BVPI 176) which is—"the number of domestic violence refuge places per 10,000 population, which are provided or supported by the authority". Local authorities are required to set their own performance target against this indicator, which appeared in the indicator set for the first time in 2001–02 and remains in the 2002–03 set of BVPIs. No data on local authority performance against this indicator are available yet; local authorities will provide their performance data for BVPI 176 to the Audit Commission for 2001–02 after 31 March 2002. The data will then be audited and will be available in autumn 2002.