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Violent Crimes
10. Mr. Gallie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of reported crimes of violence have been committed by re-offenders in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [10796]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Information is not available in the form requested, as not all reported crimes of violence result in a conviction. In 1994, 17 per cent. of persons convicted of a crime of violence--which category includes serious assault, sexual assault, robbery and possession of offensive weapons--had been convicted of a similar offence in the previous five years.
Mr. Gallie: What steps will my hon. Friend take in respect of crimes of violence committed by youngsters? There still seems to be a problem with the carrying of knives. Will my hon. Friend consider introducing legislation to prevent the sale of knives to young persons under the age of 18? Will he also consider introducing legislation to prevent the consumption of alcohol in public places by youngsters under 18?
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: It is illegal to sell alcohol to under-18s, and a large number of councils have adopted byelaws approved by the Secretary of State to prevent the consumption of alcohol in public places. We will consider, in co-operation with the Home Office, any proposals that my hon. Friend has--but we must be certain that proposals are enforceable by the police. We believe that the Health Education Board for Scotland should spearhead health enhancement among the young.
As to the carrying of knives, there have been a number of successful campaigns, such as Operation Combat. The number of attempted murders involving the use of knives fell by half as a result, which every police force should bear in mind.
Mr. McFall:
Does not the Minister's answer reveal the total failure of the Government's criminal justice policies? With friends such as the hon. Member for Ayr (Mr. Gallie), who needs enemies? The present policy clearly does not work. At Glasgow district court a few months ago, 7,000 criminal cases were dropped because of lack of resources. Apart from that being a kick in the
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
The dropping of that large number of cases was the responsibility of Glasgow district council, which refused to make available the necessary facilities. The hon. Gentleman should direct the strength of his criticism to that council. I am proud to be associated with my hon. Friend the Member for Ayr (Mr. Gallie), who introduced a necessary provision to allow prosecutors a right of appeal against sentences that are too lenient. That right has been used successfully, and such offenders have been subjected to heavier sentences as a result of the measure for which my hon. Friend fought. He was right to fight for it, and that measure is greatly to his credit.
Mr. Bill Walker:
Does my hon. Friend recall previous law and order Bills and the Opposition opposing measures that the Government wanted to introduce? Does my hon. Friend remember the speeches made about stop and search, which has produced remarkable results? Does not that measure show that Conservatives are tough on crime, whereas Labour supports not the victims of crime but the persons who practise it?
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
My hon. Friend is right to remind the House that, originally, Labour Members opposed the right of police officers to search persons whom they suspected of carrying weapons. Despite that opposition, the law was changed. As a result, the number of persons who commit crimes involving knives is considerably lower than it would have been.
11. Mr. Norman Hogg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to encourage employment opportunities in Scotland's new towns; and if he will make a statement. [10797]
Mr. Kynoch:
Scottish Enterprise and the local enterprise companies recognise their responsibility to maintain economic development in new towns.
Mr. Hogg:
Would I be absolutely right to say that new towns and their staff had an excellent track record of creating jobs and attracting inward investment to Scotland's new towns and that the new towns have led inward investment in Scotland since the second world war? That being the case, would it not be appropriate for the Minister to ensure that the employment of those staff is cared for in the transition from the development corporations to the new unitary authorities? Will he ensure that everything possible is done to guarantee their future employment?
Mr. Kynoch:
There seems to be a game of trying to get us to say, "You are absolutely right." I am interested to hear the hon. Gentleman's comments. He raises some valid points. Over the past five years, in Cumbernauld, for example, which is obviously of great interest to him, Locate in Scotland has recorded 36 planned inward investment projects, involving planned investment of more than £87 million associated with the expected
Mr. Neil Hamilton:
Does my hon. Friend agree that Scotland's recent record on job creation, compared with that of other parts of the United Kingdom, has been excellent, but that all those encouraging gains would be set at nought if we had a tartan tax, the extra imposts on employers that the social chapter would bring, and a minimum wage? Is he aware of the budget announced yesterday in Germany? The German Government are now well aware of the job-destroying consequences of all their foolish decisions over the years, which have loaded employers with huge costs and will only reduce the wealth-creating potential of the country.
Mr. Kynoch:
My hon. Friend draws attention to Germany, where unemployment is rising, whereas it is falling consistently in this country. Not only are the taxes to which my hon. Friend has referred important to the future competitiveness of Scottish industry in particular; the costs of labour in Scotland are important too.
If new Labour is all about trying to go forward, having stakeholding and involving the unions more closely on factory premises, I should like to know whether it disassociates itself from what Mr. Bill Speirs, the deputy general secretary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress, said yesterday. He demanded that the working week be reduced to four days and expected no reduction in earnings. That would mean an effective increase in wages of some 25 per cent., which would be catastrophic not only for Scottish businesses but for British business. All the successes and records being set daily by industry in Scotland would be for nought.
Sir David Steel:
As the Minister responsible for industry, does the hon. Gentleman agree that employment opportunities are directly linked to the quality of education and training in Scotland? Is he aware that, yesterday, Borders regional council had to withdraw free transport for people aged between 16 and 18 attending day-release classes at further education colleges as one of 30 cuts in education in the region? How can the Secretary of State tell the shadow Secretary of State that there have been no cuts in education? Will Ministers stop fantasising about tartan taxes and deal with the situation on the ground?
Mr. Kynoch:
The right hon. Gentleman should be aware that, in fact, there has been a 2.5 per cent. increase in education spending this year. It is up to local councils to decide how to spend their funds. Local councils have asked for more responsibility for, and more choice in what they can do with, the funds that they are given, and they are being given both. We are consulting on areas in which they can take on greater responsibility. They must stand up and be responsible for what they do. They have the
Mr. Donohoe:
The Minister will recall that, last year, I asked a question about the effects of £11 million for urban development being lost from Irvine new town because of the closure of Irvine development corporation. He said that the money would be distributed to local enterprise companies. Why, then, must the LEC in Ayrshire put up with a cut of £2.5 million? In those circumstances, how can industry be promoted in the new town beyond the life of the development corporation?
Mr. Kynoch:
The difference between the hon. Gentleman and his party and the Government is that we recognise that LECs, as with Scottish Enterprise, have levered in a ratio of 3:1 of private funding to public funds. They clearly believe that they can exist with less funding and maintain, through efficiency improvement, the same output--and, indeed, improve on it. If the hon. Gentleman spoke to his LEC he would understand how successful LECs have been. Rather than running down the Ayrshire economy, he should tell the positive stories about Irvine, inward investment into Irvine, and the successes of Ayrshire.
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