HC Deb 16 February 2000 vol 344 c543W
Mr. Blizzard

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will provide financial support for the work of prisons with schools to direct young people away from crime; [109526]

(2) if he will make it his policy for prisons to use serving prisoners in controlled circumstances to assist young people to address their offending behaviour; [109527]

(3) if he will provide financial support for the work of prisons in developing programmes to address the offending behaviour of young people referred from local courts and youth offending teams; [109525]

(4) if he will make it his policy to include prison staff on youth offending teams. [109524]

Mr. Boateng

Under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, local authorities must plan how youth justice service systems will be delivered locally. If they choose, they may seek to involve the Prison Service in the delivery of those services, including work with schools and the secondment of prison staff to youth offending teams. Funding for this work will, however, in general have to be found from youth offending team resources, since the Prison Service is funded to work with offenders in custody.