Active Citizenship (Hansard, 2 December 2002)

§ 7. Ross Cranston (Dudley, North)
What plans he has to promote community engagement and active citizenship. [82309]

§ The Minister for Citizenship and Immigration (Beverley Hughes)
As I think my hon. and learned Friend knows, we believe that the active involvement of local people in their communities is essential to achieving safe, cohesive communities and can make a real difference to the quality of life in an area. We want to increase voluntary activity and promote active citizenship, and the active community unit is leading that work across Government.

§ Ross Cranston
I agree that good public services are not simply a matter of bureaucracy up here providing 600 services for a community down there. That applies particularly to deprived communities. How, though, is my hon. Friend ensuring that Home Office services in my area actively involve local people—and, if I may be blunt, what Home Office resources are available to those people?

§ Beverley Hughes
My hon. and learned Friend is right. If we are to involve the voluntary and community sector more in the delivery of public services, which is what we want to do, local people must be involved in both defining and shaping the way in which services are delivered. They must become involved in the voluntary and community organisations that we want to engage in public service delivery.
My hon. and learned Friend will know from his experience in Dudley, which is one of the 88 most deprived areas and has received substantial regeneration money, that as well as producing better services such arrangements often have a marked effect on local people who become involved. Like me, he has met many for whom that involvement has constituted a personal turning point, showing them that they have the capacity for more extensive involvement.
Dudley, as I said, has received substantial resources. [Interruption.] If I may finish—[HON. MEMBERS: "No!"] My hon. and learned Friend will know that, in addition—[Unterruption.]

§ Mr. Speaker
Order. Let the hon. Lady finish.

§ Beverley Hughes
There is also a specific amount, £330,000, for development of voluntary and community networks in Dudley.

§ Bob Russell (Colchester)
The Minister rightly spoke of the important role that the voluntary sector can play in our deprived communities in particular. It now costs some £22,000 a year to keep a young person locked up in a young offenders unit. Would it not be better to invest that money in our young people through the recognised youth organisations, perhaps helping them to hire school halls; and would not our communities be a lot better for it?

§ Beverley Hughes
As the hon. Gentleman will know from the policy we have published, we consider community-based solutions appropriate for many young people, and the voluntary sector has a key role to play in that.

§ Mr. Andrew Miller (Ellesmere Port and Neston)
When an active citizen who has witnessed a serious crime is scared off from giving evidence at a criminal trial, does that not underline the need to strengthen the law so that some of the thugs on our streets who are getting away with serious assault and worse are brought to justice? If people are to be active citizens and support their communities, they too need support from the law of the land.

§ Beverley Hughes
I agree that the concept of active citizenship is not only about involvement in voluntary activity. It also means being able to play a proper role as a participant in the criminal justice system. Our White 601 Paper and the Bill that will follow will make the system work so that victims and witnesses can play their proper role.