§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on Government plans to tackle youth crime in Lancashire; [50635]
(2) if he will make a statement on Government plans to tackle youth crime in Wales. [50634]
§ Mr. DenhamThe Government is supporting a wide programme to tackle youth offending in all areas, which includes action to prevent children being drawn into crime in the first place. This includes work with families, in neighbourhoods to tackle deprivation, with education services to reduce exclusions and improve attendance, and implementation of the 10 year anti-drugs strategy.
We also support a number of preventative programmes to steer young people, including those most at risk, away from crime. These include Youth Inclusion Programmes: of which there are at present two in Lancashire and three in Wales; Splash Schemes: in 15 localities in Lancashire and seven localities in Wales; and the Positive Futures programme: one project in Lancashire and two in Wales.
In addition, improvements to the youth justice system, reduced delays, new sentences and programmes, and expanded powers available to the police and courts all help to ensure that we are tackling youth criminality head on.