Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the operation of the Anti-knife Crime Community Fund in (a) 2017-18 and (b) 2018-19.

The Home Office anti-knife crime Community Fund provided support for community organisations for early intervention and prevention projects through awarding small grants in 2017-18 and 2018-19. In 2017-18 it funded 47 projects totalling £1million across England and Wales. It was increased to £1.5million in 2018/19 and supported 68 projects and initial assessments show that the projects have reached at least 50,000 children and young people. We are ensuring that the funding is used effectively, and Home Office officials have conducted a series of visits to projects in order to be satisfied about effective delivery. On 26 June, we launched the third year of the Fund for 2019-20 and the deadline for bids is 24 July.