§ Mr. HoyleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to ensure that the courts deal effectively with persistent juvenile offenders. [92019]
§ Hilary BennWe have delivered the Youth Justice Pledge by halving the time taken from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders, funded Youth Justice Board Intensive Supervision and Surveillance programmes for the most prolific offenders and introduced the detention and training order for persistent and more serious young offenders.
We have also strengthened the secure remand powers and introduced bail tagging for 12 to 16-year-olds nationally, and 17-year-olds in the 10 street crime priority areas, who repeatedly offend.
We have already reduced young offender reconvictions by 14.6 per cent., as measured by those dealt with in July 2000 just after national implementation of the main youth justice reforms.