§ Mr. Liddell-GraingerTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of people helped in social exclusion zones. [105503]
§ Mrs. RocheThe Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is directing additional resources at a number of the most deprived and socially excluded areas of England.
In terms of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) a total of 88 local authority districts receive support. 19.6 million people live in these areas, based on the 2001 Census. Not all of these people are socially excluded or live in deprived areas. It is the task of the local strategic partnerships, community empowerment networks and the local communities in these places to direct NRF resources and so improve service delivery to people living in the areas of most need.
In terms of the New Deal for Communities (NDC), some 200,000 people live in the 39 NDC partnership areas according to estimates from the NDC evaluation.