§ Ms PerhamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what initiatives embarked upon since May 1997 have benefited Ilford, North; and if he will make a statement. [152028]
§ Mr. Charles ClarkeThe 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 Ilford, North constituency or the immediate locality.
Redbridge, in partnership with Havering, Barking and Dagenham and Waltham Forest, is running a drug arrest referral scheme. The borough is policed by the Metropolitan police, who have increased the amount of class A drugs seized by 23 per cent. from 1997 to 1998. The borough also benefits from a Londonwide domestic violence and racially motivated crime initiative being run by the Metropolitan police.
The Redbridge crime and disorder reduction partnership audit, which covers Ilford, North, was published in 1999. It showed, among other findings, that Redbridge has the second lowest crime rate in London. Redbridge's crime and disorder reduction strategy for 1999–2002 was published later in the year, setting three-year objectives for each priority area and identifying specific projects to enable these to be met.
28WYouth Offending Teams (YOTs)
The Redbridge YOT covers the constituency of Ilford, North. The YOT is working with other youth justice agencies to deliver the Government's pledge to halve the average time taken from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders from 142 to 71 days. According to local information, the Redbridge youth court achieved an average of 40 days for the last quarter.
The YOT is carrying out initial assessments of young people using a research-based structured assessment tool. Assessment interviews are conducted jointly by YOT staff members from two different professional backgrounds to enhance the quality of the assessment process.
A bail support scheme is in operation locally in order to reduce the incidence of secure remands and reoffending by young people while on bail. Structured group work and individual programmes of differing intensities have been developed in order to address different levels of offending behaviour. 89 per cent. of young people receiving a community-based order are seen for their first appointment within one working day. All community-based orders contain a focus on the consequences of the offending for the victim. Local victim-offender mediation and mentoring projects have been established to support the YOT in the delivery of programmes. The team also works closely with the Odyssey under-18 drug and alcohol project. Two thirds of young people in contact with the YOT receive an input on education and training. Significant progress has been made in preventing school exclusions.
More generally, all of the policies of the Home Office will impact on the residents of Ilford, North 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; andgood 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 1999Information on the Home Office and its policies is also published on its website www.homeoffice.gov.uk.