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Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) Wednesday Volume 534 2 November 2011 No. 218 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 2 November 2011 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2011 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Parliamentary Click-Use Licence, available online through The National Archives website at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/information-management/our-services/parliamentary-licence-information.htm Enquiries to The National Archives, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU; e-mail: [email protected] 905 2 NOVEMBER 2011 906 Mr Hurd: Community Service Volunteers is a great House of Commons organisation and it had a spectacularly successful day. The answer lies in trying to reduce some of the barriers, Wednesday 2 November 2011 such as the red tape that I mentioned, that stop people getting involved. It is also important to try to inspire The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock people to step up and get more involved. That is why we believe that programmes such as Community Organisers and Community First, which are about bringing PRAYERS communities together to identify what they want to change and inspiring them to work together to make [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] that change happen, can be a very powerful intervention. BUSINESS BEFORE QUESTIONS Mr Mark Williams (Ceredigion) (LD): The Minister will be aware that this is national trustees week. Will he LONDON LOCAL AUTHORITIES BILL [LORDS] address two particular concerns of that campaign? The (BY ORDER) first is that the number of young people being attracted Consideration of Bill, as amended, opposed and deferred to become trustees is very small indeed, and the other is until Tuesday 8 November (Standing Order No. 20). the fact that more than half of charities have at least one vacancy on their board of trustees. Mr Hurd: The hon. Gentleman raises an extremely Oral Answers to Questions important point. We all know the value and importance of the work of trustees and the ability of a really good set of trustees to transform the capability of a charity CABINET OFFICE or voluntary organisation. It is important that the Government will announce some steps to promote wider The Minister for the Cabinet Office was asked— awareness of the opportunity to take part in being a trustee. Community Projects Voluntary Sector 1. Stephen Metcalfe (South Basildon and East Thurrock) (Con): What steps he is taking to encourage individuals 2. Tony Lloyd (Manchester Central) (Lab): What and organisations to engage in projects that benefit recent steps he has taken to support the voluntary their local community. [77750] sector. [77751] The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Mr Nick 3. Mr Russell Brown (Dumfries and Galloway) (Lab): Hurd): Encouraging more social action is a key strand What steps he plans to take to support the voluntary of the big society vision, so we are looking at ways to sector. [77752] cut some of the red tape that gets in the way and are busy delivering programmes such as Community Organisers, The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Mr Nick Community First, the national citizen service and the Hurd): I refer the hon. Members for Manchester Central social action fund. (Tony Lloyd) and for Dumfries and Galloway (Mr Brown) to the open letter to the voluntary sector, which was Stephen Metcalfe: I thank my hon. Friend for his sent to all MPs and published on the Cabinet Office answer. Will he expand on how these initiatives will website; it sets out our strategy for encouraging more impact on the residents of South Basildon and East social action and supporting civil society. Thurrock and on what they could hope to see from such great ideas in the future? Tony Lloyd: The Greater Manchester centre for voluntary organisation estimates that a quarter of those employed Mr Hurd: I thank my hon. Friend for his positive by voluntary organisations are losing their jobs in this reaction. I am aware that at least three wards, I think, in two-year period. Can the Minister honestly tell the his constituency are eligible for the Community First voluntary sector through the House that with that level grant programme. This is a fund designed to put money of cutbacks there really is a role for that sector? Volunteers into the hands of neighbourhood groups to help them need a structure in which to work. implement their own plans. It is focused on wards that blend high levels of deprivation with low levels of social Mr Hurd: I understand the hon. Gentleman’s point. capital, and I very much hope that he will engage We all have to recognise that there is less money around personally in supporting constituents in those wards to so some difficult choices have to be made. I simply refer maximise those particular opportunities. him to the statement made by his own leader to the BBC on Valentine’s day this year to the effect that he Mrs Madeleine Moon (Bridgend) (Lab): I declare an could not have protected the voluntary sector from interest as a trustee of Community Service Volunteers, local authority cuts. There is awareness of the challenge which had its Make a Difference day on Saturday last that we all face. I know that the sector in Manchester week, encouraging people to volunteer and make a has benefited from the transition fund and that a bid difference in their community. What steps will the has been put in to the infrastructure fund from the Government take to ensure that organisations such as organisations that support front-line organisations. Eighteen Community Service Volunteerscan reach out and encourage wards in the city of Manchester and 69 in Greater volunteers like Abbie, who is unemployed, to make a Manchester are eligible for the Community First grant difference by working in her local Marie Curie shop? programme. 907 Oral Answers2 NOVEMBER 2011 Oral Answers 908 Mr Brown: People in my constituency who are living Open Government Partnership with cancer and other long-term conditions desperately need benefits advice. It is currently provided by Macmillan 4. Mr James Clappison (Hertsmere) (Con): What Cancer Support, Citizens Advice, Welfare Rights and assessment he has made of the potential role of the the Princess Royal Trust for Carers. I attended a meeting open government partnership in promoting openness with these groups on Monday morning. Let me tell the and transparency. [77753] Minister that they are under real pressure to find the financial wherewithal to go forward. Surely now is The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster the time to make sure that these organisations have the General (Mr Francis Maude): Transparency is an idea financial support that is required to provide quality whose time has come. It makes choice possible, it encourages benefits advice. accountability, and it can change lives. The United Kingdom Government are already the world leader in Mr Hurd: I could not agree more. When I visited my transparency, and the open government partnership local advice centre on Friday, I had a real sense of the will enable those huge benefits to be promoted to many strain and stress that its staff were experiencing. We other countries around the world. have set aside a further £20 million of special funding for advice centres. There is also to be a short review to Mr Clappison: The open government partnership is investigate what the Government can do to manage an interesting and exciting concept. Can my right hon. levels of demand on those working in that vital sector, Friend tell me what are the key UK transparency and how we can make life easier for them. commitments within it? Mrs Eleanor Laing (Epping Forest) (Con): Does the Mr Maude: All the principles underlying the partnership Minister agree that voluntary groups set up by people reflect things that we have already introduced: openness who do what they do because they want to, and because about Government spending, openness about salaries, they have a lifetime of experience in the field—one openness about the internal workings of government, example is Home-Start in my constituency—often fulfil and an increase in the publication of outcome data their roles not only in a more cost-effective way, but about the way in which public services operate. We have better than others? said that commitment to and implementation of the principles of the open government partnership will Mr Hurd: Absolutely. Value is reflected in two ways, increasingly be a material factor in decisions by the in terms of cost and in terms of the effectiveness of the Department for International Development about where support that is given. In my experience, volunteer-led to place direct budget support for developing country organisations enjoy a different level of trust among the Governments. people whom they are trying to help. Mr Denis MacShane (Rotherham) (Lab): In the interests Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con): Would the of open government, will the Minister agree to publish Minister welcome increased Government spending to all the credit card expenses of Ministers and officials enable the voluntary sector to deal with human trafficking? under the sum of £500 in all Departments, starting with If the money went through the Salvation Army, the big the Housing Minister? society could help all charities to look after victims. Mr Maude: It is good to hear the right hon. Gentleman being so enthusiastic about transparency. We have already Mr Hurd: My hon. Friend makes a good point, with published Government payment card data covering which I have a great deal of sympathy. transactions between April and August this year, and we will continue to do so. We will publish the data for Mr Gareth Thomas (Harrow West) (Lab/Co-op): The 2010 and 2011, and Departments will also have the latest survey of charity leaders by the National Council option of publishing data for the previous year, when for Voluntary Organisations shows that 30% of them the last Government were in office.
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