§ Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 8 July 2003,Official Report, column 724W, on juvenile prisoners, what plans he has to move all 17-year-old females out of Prison Service custody. [125889]
1218W
§ Paul GogginsWe are determined to minimise the number of juvenile girls mixing with adult prisoners. We are currently setting up a new, separate juvenile unit at Downview, to end placements in Holloway. Given the numbers and geographical spread, complete separation across England and Wales is not simple, but we are looking at how further improvements can be made.
§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with the Metropolitan Police Force in the London borough of Havering with regard to young offenders. [128373]
§ Ms BlearsI have regular bilateral meetings with the Commissioner which cover the whole of the Metropolitan police area. The Youth Offending Team (YOT) in Havering was the first in London to be managed by a serving officer from the Metropolitan police and is one of the best performing YOTs in London, according to the tables of performance compiled by the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales.
It forms part of a consortium of YOTs which run the East London Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Programme for persistent young offenders. With support from the Children's Fund, Havering is also developing a Youth Inclusion and Support Programme which will aim to identify young people at risk of offending and provide a series of early intervention measures to address this risk.