HC Deb 22 June 2004 vol 422 cc1333-4W
Lady Hermon

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what methods of restraint are used in controlling young offenders at the Juvenile Justice Centre; and what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of these methods of restraint. [179488]

Mr. Spellar

This is an operational responsibility of the Acting Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency of Northern Ireland (Artie O'Neill). He has advised me that physical control in care is the method of restraint used within the Juvenile Justice Centre. It has been approved by the Home Office, the Northern Ireland Office and the Social Services Inspectorate as being effective in restraining young people safely.

Lady Hermon

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many contact hours per week young offenders have with teaching staff in the Juvenile Justice Centre in Bangor, County Down. [179489]

Mr. Spellar

This is an operational responsibility of the Acting Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency of Northern Ireland (Artie O'Neill). He has advised me that young people have 20 hours contact time in a classroom setting each week and four hours informal contact in their house units.

Lady Hermon

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what management staff are on duty during the night at the Juvenile Justice Centre; and what qualifications the have in(a) social work and (b) management. [179490]

Mr. Spellar

This is an operational responsibility of the Acting Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency of Northern Ireland (Artie O'Neill). He has advised me that the Director of the Juvenile Justice Centre and the Duty Manager, who are on call at night, are qualified social workers. All managers on duty have the necessary managerial skills, competences and experience to carry out their roles effectively. There is no requirement for them to hold a formal managerial qualification.

Lady Hermon

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the maximum period of lock-up imposed on young offenders at the Juvenile Justice Centre has been; how often this maximum has been applied; and to what percentage of offenders it has applied since its opening. [179495]

Mr. Spellar

This is an operational responsibility of the Acting Chief Executive of the Youth Justice Agency of Northern Ireland (Artie O'Neill). He has advised me that the Juvenile Justice Centre Rules (Section 30) define the circumstances for temporary confinement. While these do not specify a maximum period (unless the confinement is ordered by the medical officer when a maximum of 24 hours is stipulated), the centre has adopted best practice from other secure centres and has drafted additional guidance for confinement (single separation). This states that confinement should be for the shortest period possible and procedures are in place to prevent excessive use of single separation. As no maximum period is specified, it is not possible to answer the other parts of the question.