§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will assess the(a) benefits and (b) disadvantages of transferring the cost of remand places for juveniles facing criminal charges from local authority social services departments to his Department's budget; [37028]
(2) if he will assess the (a) benefits and (b) disadvantages of transferring the cost of secure accommodation places for young offenders from local authority social services departments to his Department's budget; [37027]
(3) if he will assess the (a) benefits and (b) disadvantages of transferring the funding for remand places for juveniles facing criminal charges from local to central Government; [37026]
(4) if he will assess the (a) benefits and (b) disadvantages of transferring the funding for secure accommodation places for young offenders from local to central Government. [37025]
§ Mr. MichaelJuveniles held in custody on remand or sentenced can be placed in secure accommodation provided by the local authority, within its secure estate, or by central Government in Prison Service facilities, Secure Training Centres or in the Youth Treatment Centre.
At present, when juveniles—that is those between the ages of 10 and 16—are charged and not released on bail they have to be remanded to local authority accommodation under section 23 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969. The local authority may, if it can satisfy certain strict conditions, return to court and seek a secure accommodation order under section 25 of the Children Act 1989 to place the juvenile in local authority secure accommodation. The cost of such remands in these circumstances is met by the local authority and there are no proposals to change these payment arrangements.
Currently there are also special arrangements for 15 and 16-year-old boys who may be remanded to prison if the strict conditions set out in section 23 of the 1969 Act are met. The costs for these prison remands are met centrally and there are no proposals to change these payment arrangements.
The Government intend to add to the existing remand powers so that courts will have the power to remand certain juveniles direct to local authority secure accommodation. Powers are contained in the Crime and Disorder Bill which will allow for the process of implementing the Government's commitment in this area to begin. This process will be implemented in stages with priority concentrated on the youngest and most vulnerable juveniles, because there is a limited number of available local authority secure places. The powers will apply, in the first instance to 12 to 14-year-olds, 15 to 16-year-old girls and some 15 and 16-year-old boys who are adjudged by the court to be vulnerable and where a local authority secure place has been identified. The costs of such secure remands once implemented will be met centrally.
The costs of all sentenced juveniles and young offenders, irrespective of where they are held, are met centrally and there are no proposals to change these arrangements.
544WWe have been reviewing the provision of secure accommodation for remanded and sentenced juveniles, including the funding arrangements. The outcome of the review will be known shortly.