Oral question asked in the House of Lords, by Baroness Walmsley (Liberal Democrat). It was answered on Tuesday, 24 November 2009.

Sure Start

Question: My Lords, I hate to intrude on this private battle, but may I ask the noble Baroness whether the child poverty strategy includes increasing the number of outreach workers in Sure Start centres? These are the workers who reach the most deprived and hard-to-reach families. Has an assessment been made of the economic benefits of the outreach work that they do, and will the Government ensure that their funding is secure?

Answer: My Lords, it is the party opposite which has made a commitment to cut the funding for outreach work. It is those workers, as part of the Sure Start team, who are really reaching into deprived communities and making sure that all families have the opportunity to make use of the Sure Start children’s centre services. In terms of the economic benefits, I will check the research that has been done—it is important that we evaluate this—and get back to the noble Baroness.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 715 c248
Session: 2009-10
Oral question type: Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Lords chamber
Subjects: Children Disadvantaged Poverty Sure Start programme Children's centres
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk