§ Q7. Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Prime Minister if Her Majesty's Government will take further action to prevent vandalism.
§ The Prime MinisterThere is no single or simple solution to the problem of vandalism. Since coming into office this Government has strengthened the police by 9,000 officers and we have, in the Criminal Justice Act 1982, considerably strengthened the power of the courts to deal with young offenders. In particular, the Act492W reinforces the powers to make parents responsible for their children's actions. This Government have also greatly increased the number of attendance centres. But vandalism is not something just for the Government, police and courts to deal with. It is for parents and teachers acting with others in the local community to tackle this problem. To help encourage this, the Home Office already produces films, leaflets and posters aimed at both parents and potential offenders and hopes to have published later this year a teaching package for secondary schools on law and order including material on vandalism.