§ 5. Mr. Graham Stringer (Manchester, Blackley)What progress he has made in implementing his plans to tackle crime among young people. [40267]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Mr. Alun Michael)We are making a great deal of progress on tackling crime among young people. The White Paper "No More Excuses" includes proposals to reduce delay, to nip things in the bud and to achieve better co-ordination of youth justice services. The Crime and Disorder Bill is making progress in Committee. The process of appointment to the new youth justice board has started. Even in advance of legislation, much can be done. More than 100 courts have started or are planning fast-track schemes for young offenders, compared with only eight when we came into office.
§ Mr. StringerI thank my hon. Friend for that answer. I am sure that my constituents welcome the progress that is being made. Given that much crime is carried out by 10 to 16-year-olds, and that a significant proportion of that is perpetrated while they should be at school, will he join me in welcoming the proposals of the social exclusion unit to give the police powers to pick up children off the streets who should be at school?
§ Mr. MichaelI certainly welcome the work of the social exclusion unit and the Prime Minister's strong backing for its recommendations this morning. The chapter that refers to a joined-up problem says that nearly half of all school-age offenders have been excluded from school, and that a quarter truanted significantly. Different Departments are corning together to address the problem together.
§ Miss Anne McIntosh (Vale of York)Does the Minister accept that there is some merit in the 110-day rule which applies in Scotland, whereby offenders not brought to trial within 110 days of being committed to trial are set for ever free? That has won the support of the local probation service in North Yorkshire. If he agrees, will he approve my private Member's Bill?
§ Mr. MichaelWe have a better Bill, the Crime and Disorder Bill, which addresses the whole problem comprehensively. The hon. Lady is right to say that we should consider what happens elsewhere, including Scotland, to learn the lessons of what has worked. Such solutions do not always translate to England and Wales, but we certainly have examined the situation elsewhere. We are achieving much positive progress, as I said in my first reply.
§ Sir Brian Mawhinney (North-West Cambridgeshire)Given that the hon. Gentleman is the Minister responsible for the police, how could he give the answer that he gave 6 to the hon. Member for Manchester, Blackley (Mr. Stringer) without embarrassment? He told the House that he is happily conniving with the Secretary of State for Education and Employment to send hard-pressed police around the streets like pied pipers of Hamelin, rounding up 1 million young people and taking them back to school, when 900,000 of them will walk out the next day and 100,000 have only one or two hours education a week, so they have no school to go to. The Minister is putting no pressure on the Labour education authorities that have the responsibility. When is he going to get serious on behalf of the police and start taking firm action to address these problems?
§ Mr. MichaelThat was pathetic. The title of our White Paper was "No More Excuses", and we are taking no more from that lot opposite. They got a bloody nose because of the daft proposals that they came up with in the past. The right hon. Gentleman should read the Police Superintendents Association press release welcoming what we proposed today specifically because it recognises the need not for a problem to be offloaded on to the police, but for the police to work with schools, education authorities and health services. Together we will solve the problems that he and his colleagues failed to tackle when they had the opportunity.