§ Mr. Eldon Griffithsasked the Prime Minister if she will appoint an interdepartmental Committee to examine the role in relation to crime prevention and social control of the Departments of Education and Science, Health and Social Security, Environment and the Manpower Services Commission, and comprising representatives of those Departments.
§ The Prime MinisterOn 25 March last year the then Home Secretary announced in Parliament that he had taken the initiative with his ministerial colleagues in considering on an interdepartmental basis how best to stimulate and harness the different policies and services that might help in the reduction of crime. An interdepartmental group of senior officials from the Departments of the Environment, Education and Science, Health and Social Security and Employment, together with representatives of the Scottish and Welsh Offices, have met under the chairmanship of the Permanent Secretary of the Home Office to carry forward this work.
The results of the group's work will shortly be made available, together with the issue of a circular to local authorities and others. Other developments have included the setting up of a crime prevention unit within the Home Office and the Bramshill seminar on a co-ordinated approach to crime prevention, attended by senior police officers, local authority representatives and departmental officials.