§ Lord Plant of Highfieldasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have identified areas to pilot the new youth justice measures and the procedural changes to reduce delays in youth and adult cases contained in the Crime and Disorder Bill. [HL2097]
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg)We have identified nine areas in which, in principle, we would like to pilot the new youth justice measures contained in the Crime and Disorder Bill. These measures are the final warning scheme; the reparation order, action plan order, child safety order and parenting order; and youth offending teams.
Four areas have been identified to pilot all of these measures. This will demonstrate how the new powers operate together and how the youth offending team structure can best deliver the associated intervention work. The four areas are the London Boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster (jointly); Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight (jointly); Wolverhampton; and Sheffield.
Five areas have been identified to pilot the child safety order and parenting order, together with youth offending teams. This will ensure that we have sufficient information to evaluate the operation of these two orders. the five areas are the London Borough of Lewisham; Luton and Bedfordshire (jointly); Devon; St. Helens; and Sunderland.
We shall be undertaking further detailed work in these nine areas with a view to establishing a pilot project from October 1998. The pilots will operate for a period of 18 months. They will help develop good practice and allow us to assess the costs and savings which nation-wide implementation will involve. The pilots will 35WA inform decisions over the timing of full implementation of these measures.
We are also considering how we might best support other areas, including those others which expressed interest in taking part in the pilots, in planning and developing their arrangements for youth offending teams and the other youth justice measures.
In addition, six areas have been identified to pilot procedural changes recommended by the Review of Delay in the Criminal Justice System, some of which are contained in the Crime and Disorder Bill. These are expected to reduce delays in youth and adult cases. The pilots are being organised under the auspices of the Trials Issues Group and they will also be used to inform the setting of statutory time limits in due course for both youth and adult cases. The six areas are Tyneside; Croydon; Blackburn and Burnley; Northamptonshire; North Staffordshire; and North Wales. Two of these areas—Blackburn and Northamptonshire—will also operate the final warning scheme and youth offending teams, since these arrangements will have an effect on speed through the system and procedures in young offender cases.
Sir Iain Glidewell's Review of the Crown Prosecution Service supports the changes which are to be piloted and proposes some further changes which he recommends should be incorporated in the pilots. The Government will be considering how best to take this forward.
These pilots reflect the Government's determination to test innovative and effective ways of delivering services and programmes across government departments and agencies. Experience from these pilots and other area-based initiatives will help to ensure that new measures are implemented effectively at local level.