§ Ms KeebleTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what variations there have been to the Children's Fund allocations for 2003 to 2006 notified in writing to local fund managers in January; [144925]
(2) what the final allocations for the Children's Fund were for 2002–03; [144926]
(3) when he will make an announcement on Children's Fund allocation for 2004–05. [144931]
§ Margaret HodgeAllocations to Children's Fund partnerships came to £119 million in 2002–03.
We conducted a mid year review of expenditure in November 2003 for this financial year to identify and take back genuine under spend from the first half of the year.
We wrote to all partnerships on 19 December advising them that the programme had become over-committed. This is because after initial under spends Partnerships are now spending much closer to profile against allocations which deliberately exceeded budget provision because of the history of under spends. The higher spending by partnerships together with the contributions made by the Children's Fund to other initiatives for the 5 to 13-year-old age group.
All this means there will be some reduction in allocations for 2004–05 and 2005–06 in order that the programme can meet all its commitments and stay within its overall limit.
I am not able to confirm allocations for 2004–05 or 2005–06 before the end of January. I can confirm though that the Government remain committed to the valuable work of the Children's Fund and that next year's budget will enable the programme to continue to deliver preventive services for children and young people.
§ Mr. PickthallTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding will be made available to the Lancashire Children's Fund for(a) 2004–5 and (b) 2005–06. [147041]
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§ Margaret Hodge[holding answer 12 January 2004]I am not able to confirm the allocations for Lancashire Children's Fund for 2004–05 and 2005–06 before the end of January. My officials have met with the appropriate representative bodies and wrote to all partnerships on 19 December 2003 explaining the difficulties that had occurred because of over programming coupled with mistaken estimates of partnerships ability to spend. This together with the contribution made to other initiatives means there will be some reduction in allocations for 04–05 and 05–06 in order that the programme can meet all its commitments and remain within its financial limits.
I can confirm though that the Government remain committed to the valuable work of the Children's Fund and that next year's budget will enable the programme to continue to deliver preventative services for children and young people.
§ Tim LoughtonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many projects are funded by the Children's Fund; and if he will list them and the responsible parent organisation, where applicable; [147729]
(2) for what reason cuts have been made to Children's Fund grants in the middle of the year of operation; [147730]
(3) for what reason Children's Fund grants to projects signed up for three years will now not be paid in full; [147731]
(4) how many projects funded by the Children's Fund are likely to face cuts to their funding in the next financial year; [147732]
(5) how many projects funded by the Children's Fund have closed in the current financial year; [147733]
(6) how many Children's Fund-funded projects have appealed to the Children's Directorate appeal system against costs to their funding; and how many have been successful; [147748]
(7) for how long it is intended to run the appeal system set up for projects funded by the Children's Fund to appeal against cuts to their funding; [147749]
(8) what arrangements are in place to replace funds being cut to Children's Fund-funded projects with other public funds. [147750]
§ Margaret HodgeThere are 149 Children's Fund partnerships in England. These are listed in the annexe together with their lead and accountable bodies. The programme was launched in November 2001 and runs until March 2006. Each partnership is made up of representatives from the voluntary and statutory sector.
Children's Fund partnerships will continue to receive grants for 2004–05 and 2005–06. These grants will enable the partnerships to continue to deliver preventive services for five to 13-year-olds in their area. In the early years of the programme the Partnerships under spent their allocations. To avoid this recurring partnerships were allowed to increase their planned commitment with increased allocations and monies used for other initiatives for five to 13-year-olds. However, it has become clear that the partnerships have been more effective in their spending, to the point that they are 129W spending more closely to profile. In order to avoid over-spends, not permitted under Government accounting, the Department is taking action now so as to reduce the levels of over-commitment without damaging the programmes already in place.
A mid year review of expenditure was undertaken in November 2003 to identify and take back genuine under spend from the first half of 2003–04 and to estimate and take back likely under spends from the second half of the year.
The Department did not have a formal process for appealing against mid year review decisions. However, following representations from 11 partnerships, the Department wrote to all 149 on 19 December. We advised them that decisions on taking back under spend would be revisited where they were too harsh and that we would restore funds where partnerships ability to meet contractual commitments were compromised by our decisions. These measures will ensure the mid year review does not mean partnerships have to implement
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Partnership Accountable body Region Wave Birmingham Birmingham City Council West Midlands 1 Blackburn with Darwen Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council North West 1 Blackpool Blackpool Borough Council North West 1 Bolton Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council North West 1 Bradford Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council Yorkshire and Humber 1 Bristol Barnardos South West South West 1 Camden Camden Local Education Authority London 1 Cornwall NCH South West 1 Doncaster Doncaster Metropolitan Borough Council Yorkshire and Humber 1 Gateshead Gateshead Council North East 1 Greenwich Greenwich Council London 1 Hackney The Learning Trust London 1 Halton NCH North West 1 Haringey Haringey Council London 1 Hartlepool Hartlepool Borough Council North East 1 Islington Islington Council London 1 Kent Family Welfare Association South East 1 Kingston upon Hull Hull City Council Yorkshire and Humber 1 Knowsley Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council North West 1 Lancashire NCH North West 1 Leeds Leeds City Council—Social Services Yorkshire and Humber 1 Leicester NCH East Midlands 1 Lincolnshire Lincolnshire County Council East Midlands 1 Liverpool Liverpool City Council North West 1 Manchester Manchester City Council North West 1 Middlesbrough NCH North East 1 Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle City Council North East 1 Newham London Borough of Newham London 1 Norfolk Norfolk County Council East 1 Nottingham Nottingham Social Services East Midlands 1 Oldham Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council North West 1 Portsmouth Portsmouth City Council South East 1 Rochdale Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council North West 1 Salford Salford City Council North West 1 Sandwell Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council West Midlands 1 Sheffield Sheffield City Council Yorkshire and Humber 1 Southwark London Borough of Southwark London 1 Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council North East 1 Sunderland City of Sunderland North East 1 Tower Hamlets London Borough of Tower Hamlets London 1 Barking and Dagenham London Borough of Barking and Dagenham London 2 Barnsley Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council Yorkshire and Humber 2 Bournemouth The Children's Society South West 2 Brent London Borough of Brent London 2 Brighton and Hove Brighton and Hove City Council South East 2 Calderdale Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council Yorkshire and Humber 2 Cheshire Cheshire County Council North West 2 Coventry Coventry City Council West Midlands 2 redundancies or close services. I expect the process of identifying the total number that need funds restored to be completed by the end of January.
In a letter to all partnerships before Christmas the Department also explained that there was over-commitment in the programme and that there will therefore be some reduction in allocations for 2004–05 and 2005–06 in order that the programme can spend within its limits. Officials are currently assessing the extent of over-commitment in the programme. I expect this work to be completed by the end of January so that we can confirm partnerships' allocations for 2004–05. Until then we have advised partnerships not to commission any new services.
There has not been any closure of Children's Fund partnerships. It is a key characteristic of the fund that decisions on which services to commission are taken locally, not by central Government, against the aims and objectives of the Children's Fund programme. Partnerships themselves may decide which services to retain or close at any time, in response to evolving local circumstances.
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Partnership Accountable body Region Wave Cumbria Council for Voluntary Action South Lakeland North West 2 Darlington Darlington Borough Council North East 2 Derby Derby City Council East Midlands 2 Derbyshire Derbyshire County Council East Midlands 2 Devon Playlines Trust South West 2 Durham Durham County Council North East 2 East Sussex East Sussex County Council South East 2 Hammersmith and Fulham London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham London 2 Isle of Wright Isle of Wright Local Education Authority South East 2 Kirklees NCH Yorkshire and Humber 2 Lambeth Lambeth Social Services London 2 Lewisham London Borough of Lewisham London 2 Luton Luton Borough Council East 2 Medway Medway Council South East 2 North East Lincolnshire North East Lincolnshire Council Yorkshire and Humber 2 North Lincolnshire North Lincolnshire Council Yorkshire and Humber 2 North Tyneside North Tyneside Council North East 2 North Yorkshire NSPCC Yorkshire and Humber 2 Northamptonshire Northamptonshire County Council Education Service Finance East Midlands 2 Northumberland NCH North East 2 Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire County Council East Midlands 2 Peterborough Peterborough City Council East 2 Plymouth Plymouth City Council South West 2 Redcar and Cleveland Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council North East 2 Rotherham External Funding Team, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council Yorkshire and Humber 2 Sefton Sefton Council North West 2 Solihull Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council West Midlands 2 South Tyneside South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council North East 2 Southampton Southampton City Council South East 2 St. Helens NCH North West 2 Stoke-on-Trent Voluntary Action Stoke-on-Trent West Midlands 2 Suffolk Suffolk County Council East 2 Tameside Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council North West 2 Telford and Wrekin Borough of Telford and Wrekin West Midlands 2 Torbay The Children's Society South West 2 Trafford Trafford Borough Council North West 2 Walsall Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council West Midlands 2 Waltham London Borough of Waltham Forest London 2 Wandsworth Wandsworth Borough Council London 2 Westminster City of Westminster London 2 Wirral The Children's Society North West 2 Wolverhampton Wolverhampton City Council West Midlands 2 Bedfordshire Bedfordshire County Council East 3 Bracknell Forest Bracknell Forest Borough Council South East 3 Buckinghamshire Buckingham County Council South East 3 Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire County Council East 3 East Riding of Yorkshire East Riding of Yorkshire Council Yorkshire and Humberside 3 Essex Essex County Council East 3 Hampshire Hampshire County Council South East 3 Hertfordshire Hertfordshire County Council East 3 Milton Keynes Milton Keynes Council South East 3 Oxfordshire Oxfordshire County Council South East 3 Reading Turner's Court Youth Trust South East 3 Slough Slough Borough Council South East 3 Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea Borough Council East 3 Surrey Surrey County Council South East 3 Thurrock Thurrock Council East 3 Wakefield Wakefield M.D.C Social Services and Health Department Yorkshire and Humberside 3 West Sussex West Sussex County Council South East 3 West Berkshire West Berkshire Council, Children's Services South East 3 Windsor and Maidenhead Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead South East 3 Wokingham Wokingham District Council South East 3 York City of York Council Yorkshire and Humberside 3 Barnet London Borough of Barnet London 3 Bexley Bexley Council London 3 Bromley London Borough of London 3 City of London Corporation of London (Education Department) London 3 Croydon Croydon Voluntary Action London 3 Ealing London Borough of London 3 Enfield Opportunity Links Ltd. London 3 Harrow London borough of Harrow Education Department London 3 Havering London Borough of Havering London 3 Hillingdon London Borough of Hillingdon London 3 Hounslow London Borough of Hounslow London 3
Partnership Accountable body Region Wave Kensington and Chelsea Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea London 3 Kingston-upon-Thames Royal Borough of Kingston-upon-Thames London 3 Merton Merton Voluntary Service Council London 3 Redbridge Redbridge Council for Voluntary Services London 3 Richmond-upon-Thames Richmond Council for Voluntary Service London 3 Sutton London Borough of Sutton London 3 Bury Bury MBC North West 3 Stockport Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council North West 3 Warrington Warrington Children's Fund North West 3 Wigan Social Services Wigan Council North West 3 Bath and North East Somerset Barnardos South West South West 3 Dorset Dorset County Council South West 3 Gloucestershire Gloucestershire County Council South West 3 North Somerset Barnardos South West South West 3 Poole NCH (South West) South West 3 Somerset Barnardos South West South West 3 South Gloucestershire South Gloucestershire Council South West 3 Swindon Swindon Borough Council South West 3 Wiltshire Barnardos South West South West 3 County of Herefordshire Herefordshire Council West Midlands 3 Dudley NCH Children's Fund Dudley West Midlands 3 Shropshire Shropshire County Council West Midlands 3 Staffordshire Staffordshire County Council West Midlands 3 Warwickshire NCH Warwickshire West Midlands 3 Worcestershire Worcestershire County Council Youth Services West Midlands 3 Leicestershire Leicestershire County Council East Midlands 3 Rutland Rutland County Council East Midlands 3 Bradford City MDC Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council Yorks and Humberside 1 Brighton and Hove City Council Brighton and Hove City Council South East 2 Bristol (Barnados Fund) Barnardos South West South West 1 Cornwall (NCH) (Kerrier) NCH South West 1 Durham County Council (Easington) Durham County Council North East 2 Greenwich Council Greenwich Council London 1 Haringey Council London Borough of Haringey London 1 London Borough of Brent Social London Borough of Brent London 2 London Borough of Southwark London Borough of Southwark London 1 Luton Borough Council Luton Borough Council (Lifelong Learning) East 2 Manchester City Council Manchester City Council North West 1 North Yorkshire (Scarborough) North Yorkshire County Council Yorks and Humberside 2 Northamptonshire County Council Northamptonshire County Council Education Service Finance East Midlands 2 Oldham MBC Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council North West 1 Portsmouth City Council Portsmouth City Council South East 1 Rochdale MBC Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council North West 1 Sandwell Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council West Midlands 1 Sheffield City Council Sheffield City Council Yorks and Humberside 1 Solihull MBC Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council West Midlands 2 Suffolk County Council (St. Edmundsbury) Suffolk County Council East 2 Sunderland City City of Sunderland North East 1 Wirral Metropolitan Borough The Children's Society North West 2
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that the appeals process following mid-year changes to the Children's Fund is available to relevant organisations. [148911]
§ Margaret HodgeThe Department met representatives from the main voluntary sector organisations involved in the Fund together with the LGA and the ADSS on 18 December. Following that meeting officials wrote to all Children's Fund partnerships on 19 December 2003.
We advised partnerships that where our decisions at the mid-year review had compromised partnerships' ability to their meet contractual obligations, we would revisit them. Furthermore, we set aside money to assist with this and to ensure that there was no premature closure of projects. The Children's Fund regional teams have been discussing the detailed implications with partnerships and I expect the process to be complete by the end of January.
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§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he intends to announce resources for the Children's Fund for 2004–05. [148912]
§ Margaret HodgeI expect to announce resources for the Children's Fund in 2004–05 at the end of January or early February.