Graffiti (Hansard, 9 February 2004)

§ Mr. Sheerman
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what programmes his Department funds aimed at diverting those who graffiti to productive activities. [153606]

§ Ms Blears
The Home Office provides £7 million per year to the Youth Justice Board (YJB). We are providing funding until April 2006. The Youth Justice Board's Youth Inclusion Project includes the Community Merit Award programmes, which reward positive contributions to the community such as cleaning graffiti.
£15 million has been given to the Positive Futures programme, which is aimed at marginalised children from 10 to 19 years old in the most deprived areas. This programme focuses on building links to education, training and employment and diverts young people from anti-social activities such as graffiti.

§ Mr. Sheerman
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Mayor of London concerning graffiti in London. [153609]
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§ Ms Blears
There have been no discussions with the Mayor of London concerning graffiti in London.
However in November 2003 we launched the Name that Tag poster campaign which offers a £500 reward for information about targeted prolific taggers. This campaign is a partnership between the Home Office, Crimestoppers, Network Rail London Underground and British Transport Police and runs in London, Liverpool and Manchester. It sends a clear message to taggers that we have had enough of their nuisance and they will be caught.

§ Mr. Sheerman
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether anti-social behaviour orders can be imposed on those convicted of graffiti-related offences. [153611]

§ Ms Blears
Yes. Anti-social behaviour orders can be granted where it has been proved beyond reasonable doubt that an individual has acted in a manner that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm and distress to others, and where the court judges that an order is necessary to protect people from further antisocial acts.
For example, the British Transport Police have obtained a number of orders on those who do graffiti prohibiting them from carrying the implements with which to do so and from trespassing on non-public areas of London Underground or railway property.