Sure Start (Hansard, 10 March 2003)

§ Mr. Laws
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of Sure Start schemes; if he will list by education authority those approved to date; and if he will make a statement. [99814]

§ Maria Eagle
A major evaluation of Sure Start began in January 2001. It will examine the impact of Sure Start on children, families and communities, both in the short, medium and long term by tracking a sample of 8,000 children and their families over time. Information on impact and effectiveness will become available over the next 12–18 months. 427 of the 524 planned Sure Start local programmes have been approved to date. In addition we are funding 50 Mini Sure Start local programmes in rural areas and areas with pockets of deprivation. Of these, 49 have been approved to date.
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A list of the programs has been placed in the Library.

§ Mr. Laws
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Sure Start schemes there are in(a) rural and (b) urban areas. [99815]

§ Maria Eagle
Of the 524 planned Sure Start local programmes there are 15 based in identifiably rural areas and 509 located in predominantly urban areas. Of these, 427 Sure Start local programmes have had their funding approved to date.
In addition, we are funding a pilot project of 50 Mini Sure Start local programmes in rural areas and areas with pockets of deprivation. These programmes cover areas where the number of disadvantaged children living in a defined area is less than the 800 required for a full local programme and so would not be covered by the traditional Sure Start model. The Mini Sure Start local programmes are building on existing services like Neighbourhood Nurseries or other facilities delivering children's services and using Sure Start funding to deliver outreach and additional health work. Of the 50 Mini Sure Start pilots, 29 are in rural areas.

§ Mr. Laws
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Sure Start programmes have been established in Somerset; if he will list them; and if he will make a statement. [99821]

§ Maria Eagle
Since 1997 three Sure Start local programmes have been established in Somerset. These are Bridgwater (Sedgemoor); West Somerset (West Somerset); and Taunton Deane (Taunton Deane).
Two mini Sure Start programmes have also been established in Somerset in this time period, and are located in Glastonbury and Chard. These mini Sure Start programmes are building on Neighbourhood Nurseries and are using Sure Start funding to deliver outreach and additional health work.