HC Deb 19 January 2004 vol 416 cc990-2W
Mr. Drew

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support his Department gives to(a) victim support and (b) witness support in (i) England and Wales and (ii) Gloucestershire. [144018]

Paul Goggins

Between 1996–97 and 2002–03 the Home Office's funding of the organisation Victim Support, which provides support to both victims and witnesses, more than doubled, from £11.7 million to £29.3 million. This year our grant in aid to Victim Support has been increased to £30 million, which represents an increase of 2.4 per cent. Of this, over £26 million will be passed on to local Victim Support schemes, with the balance being used by the Victim Support National Office to provide, amongst other things, a range of central services to its member groups.

The Victim Support Area of Gloucestershire has been allocated a total of £265,498 by Victim Support National Office under their new Funding Formula for the year 2003–04. As well as providing funding to Victim Support, the Home Office also provides £572,000 to other organisations supporting victims and witnesses of crime.