§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his assessment is of the availability of supervised youth facilities as an anti-crime and disorder measure; what has been the trend in the availability of such facilities over the past decade; and if he will make a statement. [145357]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeSupervised youth facilities vary considerably, from youth clubs funded by the local authority through to schemes supported by volunteers in response to an identified local need. Information about the availability of such facilities is not collected centrally. It is accordingly not possible to offer a comprehensive assessment of trends in availability over time.
We know that provision of good facilities for young people can reduce crime and disorder. This is why the Government launched the youth inclusion programme in September 1999, targeting in particular disaffected young people and those at the greatest risk of offending in the 13 to 16 age group. We expect to have 68 youth inclusion projects up and running by March, which will provide a dynamic package of activities for young people. The programme objectives are to reduce arrest rates in the target group by 60 per cent. reduce recorded crime in the programme areas by 30 per cent. and achieve reduction of at least one third in truancy and school exclusions among the target group by 2002.