HC Deb 13 March 2001 vol 364 cc522-3W
Mr. Kemp

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effects on Houghton and Washington, East of his Department's actions since 2 May 1997. [152993]

Mr. Charles Clarke

The Home Office is working to build a safe, just and tolerant society in which the rights and responsibilities of individuals, families and communities are properly balanced, and the protection and security of the public are maintained. Detailed information on the impact of Home Office policies across the full range of responsibilities is set out in Home Office Annual Reports. A copy of the most recent report, Home Office Annual Report 1999–2000, is available in the Library. The next report will be published shortly. Information on recorded crime and policing is also published. "Recorded Crime England and Wales, 12 months to September 2000" and "Police Service Strength England and Wales, 30 September 2000" can be found in the Library. The recorded crime statistics include information on recorded crime by Basic Command Unit and Crime and Disorder Partnerships.

The impact of Home Office policies and actions is not normally examined by constituency and the statistics which the Department collects, such as recorded crime, cannot be matched in the way requested although set out are examples relating to the Houghton and Washington, East constituency or the immediate locality:

Targeted Policing Initiative

Northumbria police in partnership with Tynedale district council, local parish councils and the Northumberland Social Services and probation service were awarded £40,000 under the Targeted Policing Initiative, to develop an integrated strategy to tackle crime and disorder in rural towns and remote villages. The project will tackle both localised offending and crime resulting from travelling criminals. A local multi-agency safety group will develop intelligence about offenders and identify "hot spots". The project will employ a range of interventions including a mobile police station and the use of Closed Circuit Television.

Youth Offending Teams (YOT's)

Houghton and Washington is covered by the Sunderland YOT. The YOT has worked closely and collaboratively with Sheffield University and KPMG as part of the evaluation of YOT pilots. This involved interviews with parents, evaluation of case files and qualitative interviews with a range of staff. The Social Software (YOIS) system was installed in March 2000, has been "bedded in" and is being fully utilised. The Service was involved at the national level in the Youth Justice Board commissioned work with the Trust for the Study of Adolescence to develop a parenting video to use with parents of adolescents. This built upon some of the successful work that had been undertaken in Sunderland as a pilot area for Parenting Orders

The Service was subject to inspection through the Joint Review of Social Services, which was undertaken in 2000. The following is a direct quotation from the report: The Service has been established with extensive multi-agency co-operation and involvement. This extends beyond the expected contributing agencies to include others, such as the Fire Service and the HAZ (Health Action Zone), which have also been involved in securing resources to achieve the objectives of the Service with regard to specific themes. The local authority and partner agencies have invested significantly in the successful establishment of the Service.

Voice verification is currently being piloted and is being used with bail and remand cases and those subject to community cases. All Pathway projects have been fully developed and have begun to demonstrate their effectiveness. Projects have offered workshops at various conferences and have opened their doors to sharing practice. A partnership has been developed with Gateshead YOT and the Kolvin Regional Forensic Unit to pilot and to evaluate a 10-session cognitive-behavioural programme for young people who offend.

More generally, all of the policies of the Home Office will impact on the residents of Houghton and Washington, East to a greater or lesser extent. For example: 376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships have been established; racial harassment and racially motivated crimes have been made criminal offences by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998; the asylum backlog has been cut from 103,495 at the end of January 2000 to 66,195 by the end of December 2000; good progress is being made in reducing the incidence of fire deaths in England and Wales. They have dropped from 605 in 1997 to 534 in 1999.

Information on the Home Office and its policies is also published on its website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk.