Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Nicholas Dakin and Adam Jogee

Tuesday 22nd April 2025 Commons Chamber

[Adam Jogee (Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Lab)]

4. What steps her Department is taking to support young offenders in Staffordshire.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Sir Nicholas Dakin)]

This year, the Department will provide more than £1 million in funding to the Staffordshire youth offending team to supervise children and support them in turning their back on a life of crime.

[Adam Jogee]

At the election, we promised to take action to reduce youth offending, with a network of Young Futures hubs and a crackdown on antisocial behaviour which causes so much pain to my constituents and to people up and down our country. Criminals must face the full force of the law, and young offenders cannot be a lost cause. Will the Minister confirm that this Government will do whatever we can to divert young people away from a lifetime of crime?

[Sir Nicholas Dakin]

My hon. Friend is exactly right. We must do whatever we can to move people away from a life of crime and keep the public safe. This year, despite the fiscal challenges we inherited, we are investing more than £100 million in youth offending teams across the country to identify children and divert them away from crime. With turnaround funding, Staffordshire youth offending team delivered skill-building activities for children in antisocial behaviour hotspots during a successful six-week summer programme.