Children's Fund - Education Question Time

Speech by Norman Lamb delivered to Children's Minister Margaret Hodge on Thu 12th Feb 2004

Norman Lamb (North Norfolk) (LD): If he will make a statement on the children's fund. [154518]

The Minister for Children (Margaret Hodge): The children's fund was allocated £450 million in the 2002 spending review. By September 2003, 302,000 children and families were using the services provided by the fund. However, efforts to ensure that all allocations were spent have resulted in a projected overspend. Reductions were therefore made in allocations for 2003-04 onwards.

Following my discussions with key stakeholders, we have taken action from 2003-04 to address the most difficult problems, and I am now urgently re-examining the allocations for next year. I expect to write to partnerships in the next few days.

Norman Lamb: I thank the Minister for that response, but how does she respond to the real anger and frustration felt locally at the far too late announcement of cuts to next year's funding allocation, which puts at risk the important work of groups such as Asperger Norfolk? Representatives of that organisation wrote to me expressing its dismay at the Government's announcement—it may result not only in jeopardising important work for children, but in redundancies—and the fact that it was made at such a late stage in the planning process for next year. Yesterday the Prime Minister confirmed that work was ongoing, so can the Minister offer any help to local groups and would she be prepared to meet a local delegation to hear directly about their concerns?

Margaret Hodge: I certainly understand the concerns expressed by Asperger Norfolk—I received a copy of a letter written to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State—and by other voluntary organisations throughout the country. That is why we are urgently re-examining the allocations for 2004-05 to establish whether we can do any more to help. I would be happy to meet any delegations representing organisations from Norfolk to discuss their problems with them. I would also like to give an assurance that we greatly value the work of the voluntary sector in respect of the children's fund, which has been a successful programme. Such preventive work among a given group of children is precisely what we want to carry forward as we implement the Green Paper in the coming years.