HC Deb 23 April 2001 vol 367 cc141-3W
Mrs. Gilroy

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to(a) Plymouth, Sutton constituency, (b) Plymouth, Devonport constituency and (c) South-West Devon constituency, the effects on the Plymouth unitary authority area of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [158030]

Mr. Charles Clarke

The Home Office is working to build a safe, just and tolerant society in which the rights and responsibilities of individuals, families and communities are properly balanced, and the protection and security of the public are maintained. Detailed information on the impact of Home office policies across the full range of responsibilities is set out in Home Office Annual Reports. A copy of the most recent report, "Home Office Annual Report 2000–01", is available in the Library. Information on recorded crime and policing is also published. "Recorded Crime England and Wales, 12 months to September 2000" and "Police Service Strength England and Wales, 30 September 2000" can be found in the Library. The recorded crime statistics include information on recorded crime by Basic Command Unit and Crime and Disorder partnerships.

The impact of Home Office policies and actions is not normally examined by constituency and the statistics which the Department collects, such as recorded crime, cannot be matched in the way requested although set out are examples relating to the Plymouth unitary authority area or the immediate locality:

Reducing Burglary Initiative (RBI)

Under round one of the RBI Devon and Cornwall constabulary in partnership with Plymouth city council have been awarded approximately £171,000 for projects focusing on Houses of Multiple Occupancy in the seven central wards in Plymouth. Interventions include: analysis of burglary patterns and methods of entries relating to multiple occupancy dwellings; improving the standards of security in city-centre and university multiple occupancy dwellings; provide security publicity and advice, and through establishing a Certificate of Home Security and an accompanying inspections regime (through training existing property inspectors). It will encourage the formation of neighbourhood watch schemes among residents in multiple occupancy dwellings and identify and target vulnerable properties through the existing Homesafe target hardening scheme.

Under round two, £70,000 has been awarded to various areas. The main interventions proposed in these areas are target hardening, education and improved detection methodology in an area covering 20 high-crime streets.

Closed Circuit Television (CCTV)

Plymouth city council was awarded approximately £114,000 for a scheme to upgrade existing equipment covering the car parks and surrounding areas of Derriford Hospital. Plymouth city council have two bids to a total capital of almost £855,000 shortlisted for further consideration under round two of the CCTV initiative.

Youth Offending

The Youth Justice Board (YJB) is currently funding several schemes to tackle youth offending that cover the Plymouth area. The YJB are currently providing funding for five Intervention Schemes, one Bail Supervision scheme, a Youth Inclusion project and Easter and Summer Splash schemes. The Easter and Summer Splash schemes aim to address offending by young people (especially 13 to 17-year-olds) during school holiday periods. The results have been extremely encouraging. The five areas traditionally associated with youth crime—burglary, motor crime, criminal damage, street robbery and juvenile nuisance all showed significant reductions compared with the corresponding period in the previous year. In the Plymouth area, the Barne Barton and Honicknowle areas have been involved in this scheme.

The Youth Inclusion programme seeks to reduce offending, truancy and exclusion on disadvantaged neighbourhoods. The project aims to do this by providing targeted assistance and support to the 13 to 16-year-olds most at risk of offending, truancy or exclusion. The Barne Barton neighbourhood has received £68,500 from the YJB for each year the programme is fully operational. A further £6,500 per project is paid direct to local evaluators. In return the project must match this grant funding with minimum local (partnership) funding in cash or in-kind of £75,000 per full year.

There are five Intervention Schemes being run in the Plymouth area. The FIVE Project (Education, Training and Employment) is a partnership of the Prince's Trust with the Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) and local education authorities in five cities of England and Wales. It works with young offenders and those at risk of offending, aged 14–17, through the provision of two Prince's Trust programmes. These mentoring and education programmes can be used in support of Final Warnings to young offenders. The YJB have contributed approximately £340,000 to this scheme. The YJB are also contributing almost £248,000 to Plymouth Community Justice Project. This restorative justice project includes Family Group Conferencing, Victim Offender Mediation, direct and indirect reparation to the community where possible. The project will involve young people at all stages of the Criminal Justice System (Final Warning, Action Plan Orders, Supervision Order, Detention and Training Orders).

Plymouth Community Justice Project—Mentoring is aimed at Persistent Young Offenders and those on Bail Support programmes, together with other young offenders at risk of further offending or harmful behaviour. The objectives of this project include reducing offending, reducing the risk of offending, increasing the numbers on bail attending court and not offending while on bail, demonstrating an improvement in the young person's self esteem/confidence and contributing to the target Behaviour Support Plan to reduce school exclusions. The YJB are contributing £176,000 to this project.

Plymouth Community Justice Project—Education and Employment Inclusion Programme is receiving £78,000 from the YJB. This targets a wide group of young people, particularly those excluded or at risk of exclusion. The project seeks to address young people who fall outside of the employment and benefits system. Links have been developed with other appropriate services and also with those professionals responsible for Looked After Children to ensure they access the service. CARA (Children and Adolescent Risk Assessment) is a project providing assessment and basic therapeutic interventions for those children and young people who have committed offences of a sexual nature or who are considered to be at risk of doing so with the objective of preventing further offences. This project has been awarded approximately £104,000 by the YJB.

The YJB are contributing approximately £134,000 to a Bail Support Scheme in the Plymouth area. This scheme aims to reduce re-offending by 10 per cent., to reduce remands in custody by 10 per cent. and to reduce secure remands by 10 per cent.

More generally, all of the policies of the Home Office will impact on the residents of the Plymouth unitary authority area to a greater or lesser extent. For example: 376 Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships have been established; racial harassment and racially motivated crimes have been made criminal offences by the Crime and Disorder Act 1998; the asylum backlog has been cut from 103,495 at the end of January 2000 to 49,690 by the end of February 2001; and good progress is being made in reducing the incidence of fire deaths in England and Wales. They have dropped from 605 in 1997 to 534 in 1999. Information on the Home Office and its policies is also published on its website www.homeoffice.gov.uk.