asked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much money local authorities have provided for women's refuges in each year since 1979; and what is the number and nature of authorities that have provided such money.
This information is not collected centrally.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the authorities which had requested urban aid for women's refuges in each year since 1979; which requests were successful; and whether they are sponsored by authorities with responsibility for social services, housing or both.
The information requested for 1982–83 is set out in the following table. Equivalent information for earlier years cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.
Authority
| Project
| Application Successful?
| Type of Authority†
|
Ealing | Acton Women's Aid Refuge | Yes | London Borough |
Great Grimsby | Women's Crisis Centre | Yes | Shire District |
Greater London Council | Women's Aid Refuge (Hackney) | Yes | GLC |
Hackney | Women's Aid Refuge | Yes | London Borough |
Halton | Hostel for Battered Wives | Yes | Shire District |
Haringey | Women's Aid Refuge | Yes | London Borough |
Havering | Refuge for Battered Women | Yes | London Borough |
High Peak | Glossop Women's Aid Refuge | Yes | Shire District |
Kirklees | Huddersfield Women's Aid Refuge | No | Metropolitan District |
Lewisham | Women's Aid Refuge | Yes | London Borough |
Merton | Women's Aid Refuge | Yes | London Borough |
Northampton | Women's Aid Refuge | Yes | Shire District |
Nene Valley Christian Family Refuge | Yes | Shire District | |
Norwich | Leeway Norwich Women's Refuge | Yes | Shire District |
Oxfordshire | Oxfordshire Women's Aid Refuge | Yes | Shire County |
Reading | Sahara (Asian Women's Refuge) | No | Shire County |
St. Helens | Women's Aid Refuge | No | Metropolitan District |
Slough | Women's Aid Refuge | Yes | Shire District |
Southampton | Women's Aid Refuge | Yes | Shire District |
Wakefield | Hostel for Battered Wives | Yes | Metropolitan District |
Waltham Forest | Refuge for Battered Women | Yes | London Borough |
Watford | Women's Refuge | Yes | Shire District |
* Includes applications for grant aid for women's refuges and hostels for battered wives.
† London Boroughs and Metropolitan Districts have responsibility for social services and housing. The Greater London Council has certain strategic housing responsibilities. Shire districts have responsibilities for housing while shire counties are responsible for social services.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the total amount of money given in urban aid for women's refuges in each year since 1979 and the number and nature of authorities that have received it.
The information requested for 1982–83 is given in the following table. Figures for earlier years cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.
Urban Programme Expenditure on Women's Refuges in 1982–83* | |||
No. of Authorities | No of Projects | Total Value (£000s) | |
Partnership Authorities | 8 | 14 | 312 |
Programme Authorities | 11 | 20 | 268 |
Traditional Urban Programme Authorities | 64 | 65 | 1,114 |
Total | 83 | 99 | 1,694 |
* Includes new and committed expenditure on projects described as women's refuges and hostels for battered wives.
asked the Secretary of State for the Environment what encouragement he has given to local authorities to provide refuges for battered women who would be homeless if they left their battering husbands.
Funds from the Department's urban aid programme already provide assistance through local authorities to some voluntary groups operating refuges in major towns.Local authorities are also free to use the resources available to them through the housing investment programme to make such provision for battered women in their areas as they consider necessary.Authorities' duties towards those who are homeless are laid down in the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977, and include the securing of accomodation for those in priority need. The definition of a homeless person extends to a woman excluded from her home by the risk of domestic violence. The code of guidance, to which local authorities are required to have regard, asks authorities to treat all homeless battered women as being in priority need under the Act.