§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Sutton and Cheam constituency, the effects on Sutton and Cheam of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [154416]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe 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 latest 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 Sutton and Cheam constituency or the immediate locality:
Reducing Burglary Initiative
One project from Sutton was awarded £35,000 under round two of the Reducing Burglary initiative. The project will work on anti-social behaviour and other crimes 212W and include increased use of intelligence gathering, surveillance and arrest to direct resources on prolific offenders. Anti-social behaviour, civil and repossession orders will be used to address offending by those likely to fill the void left by the removal of prolific offenders. A partnership approach will be taken to tackle issues such as the improvement of housing allocation and pre-school education provision.
Youth Offending Teams (YOTs)
The Youth Justice Board (YJB) are funding an Intervention Scheme and a Bail Supervision Team in the Sutton and Cheam constituency. Between September 1999 and March 2002 the YJB are contributing almost £120,000 to a Network Drugs Advice Project. The project will reduce crime by reducing drug and alcohol use among young offenders. A project worker will be based in each of the two YOTs and will assess levels of substance abuse and the influence it may have on individuals' crime-related activity. Motivational interviewing, solution focused, brief intervention, rational emotive behavioural and existential therapeutic approaches will be provided for approximately 1,500 young people over the period of the bid.
The YJB are also contributing nearly £85,000 to a Bail Support Scheme. The project aims to reduce offending by young people while subject to bail; reduce delays caused by non-appearance of young people in court and reduce unnecessary use of secure facilities for young people on remand.
More generally, all of the policies of the Home Office will impact on the residents of Sutton and Cheam 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; andgood 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).