HL Deb 22 July 1999 vol 604 cc127-8WA
Baroness Hilton of Eggardon

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How they plan to take forward the provision of juvenile secure accommodation. [HL3837]

Lord Williams of Mostyn

We set out our programme of reform of juvenile secure accommodation on 29 July 1998 (Official Report, WA 112) and 8 March 1999 (Official Report, WA 5–6). We had decided in principle that the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales should from April 2000 become the commissioning and purchasing body for secure accommodation for children and young people on remand or under sentence. This should help to achieve the appropriate volume, type and spread of accommodation in the longer term, so that individual needs can be met more effectively.

The board has provided advice on how to operate this. A copy has been placed in the Library. We endorse its approach as the basis for implementing commissioning and purchasing next April. The board will now consult local authorities and other relevant bodies on its proposals.