HC Deb 05 March 2001 vol 364 cc28-30W
Ms Kelly

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Bolton, West constituency, the effects on Bolton, West of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [150605]

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 1999–2000", 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 Bolton, West constituency or the immediate locality:

Reducing Burglary Initiative:

Our scheme covering Bolton, North-East was awarded £174,000 under round two of the reducing burglary initiative.

One other scheme, for £189,000, was submitted under round three of the reducing burglary initiative, and is currently under consideration.

Neighbourhood Wardens Schemes:

One scheme covering Great Lever Hutton, Lane and Deane, has been awarded £343,000.

Youth Offending Teams (YOT):

The Bolton YOT covers the constituency of Bolton, West. The YOT has achieved an 85 per cent. compliance with national standards for the production of written court reports within agreed timescales. The YOT has also achieved a reduction in the number of young people being remanded into local authority accommodation. The availability of bail supervision programmes is targeting young people who previously would have been remanded by the courts and preventing reoffending while on bail. Reoffending by young people on bail is also being reduced through the introduction of Narey court procedures, as courts are now processing the cases of young people faster.

The police final warning scheme has been in operation since January 2000 and approximately 201 young people have been referred to the YOT for assessment and intervention work. More than 50 per cent. have engaged in some form of reparative activity. The YOT has also established a project to facilitate victim/offender mediation in support of the new community-based court orders. They are also providing victim awareness programmes for young people.

The health workers within the YOT have established links with child and adolescent mental health services; immunisation clinics; teenage pregnancy and sexual health programmes promoted by healh staff.

Greater Manchester (including the Bolton, West constituency) is benefiting from the Youth Justice Board's development fund, which has awarded grants of approximately £3,754,000 over three years for one bail support scheme (covering the Greater Manchester area) and seven intervention programmes).

There is one additional intervention programme benefiting from grant funding by the Youth Justice Board which is specific to Bolton. The project is receiving a grant of approximately £15,000 over three years. This grant, together with match funding from health and social services, has allowed the "360? substance misuse project" to be established for young people. The project provides a drug treatment service covering all drugs and provides a community-based response offering a safe environment in which young people can assess their current lifestyles.

The youth justice board also provided funding for the operation of Splash schemes during the summer holidays in 2000. These schemes provided constructive and positive leisure activities for young people most at risk of offending. A Splash scheme was run in Johnson Fold.

More generally, all of the policies of the Home Office will impact on the residents of Bolton, West 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 66,195 by the end of December 2000; 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).