Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
3 July 2007 : Column 994Wcontinued
Operational capacity of young offender institutions in each year from 2003 to 2005 | |
Establishment | Operational Capacity |
Operational capacity of young offender institutions in each year from 2006 | |
Establishment | Operational Capacity |
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps the Government are taking to help young female offenders get back into employment. [146388]
Mr. Hanson: There is a wide agenda of cross Government work underway to improve offenders' job prospects and to enable them to access sustainable employment. The joint DFES, Home Office and DWP reducing re-offending through skills and employment action plan sets the direction for this work. There are a number of programmes specifically designed to meet the needs of women. At Holloway prison, a job club has recently been set up by the European funded Exodus project to help women with CV writing, searching for employment and interview skills.
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of measures in place to rehabilitate young offenders on their release from prison; and if he will make a statement. [146798]
Mr. Hanson: The inter-departmental reducing Re-offending Delivery Plan has at its heart the management of offenders from one end of their sentence to the other. It has a strong focus on commissioning the most effective interventions for offenders, including young offenders who often have chaotic lives and complex needs.
The Youth Justice Board published its youth resettlement framework for action in 2006, focusing on developing the key resettlement pathways and has rolled out resettlement and aftercare provision schemes (RAPS) in over 50 youth offending team (YOT) areas, providing planned resettlement activities for young offenders in custody and in the community.
The effective resettlement of offenders into the community is not just an issue for the Ministry of Justice. It requires a great deal of cross-Government and local partnership commitment, and this is currently being developed.
14. Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the process is for agreeing a new EU treaty; and if he will make a statement. [146826]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The Portuguese presidency plans to open an Inter-Governmental Conference on 23-24 July. Technical work will then be taken forward by working groups. The presidency aims to conclude the Treaty at the European Council in Lisbon on 18 October. Ratification by member states would then follow.
15. Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the objectives of the United Nations drugs organisations. [146827]
Dr. Howells: UK policy is to support international drug control, including the relevant UN Conventions, and the work of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in implementing it. The UK is a long standing member of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs and is also a major donor to UNODC.
16. Mr. Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking in preparation for the non-proliferation treaty review conference in 2010. [146828]
Dr. Howells: On 25 June, my right hon. Friend the then Foreign Secretary set out how we intended to work towards the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference in 2010.
She called for a reinvigorated commitment to a world free from nuclear weapons and recognised the pressure on the nuclear Non-Proliferation regime, particularly from Iran and North Korea. She made clear that we are committed to strengthen all aspects of the Nuclear NPT.
17. Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to improve the political situation in Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement. [146830]
Meg Munn: Mugabe has presided over catastrophic decline. Since 2000, the UK has given £143 million to help ordinary Zimbabweans stay alive, directly supporting nearly 1.6 million people. We will continue to support all those working for democratic change. Meanwhile state-sponsored violence in Zimbabwe must stop, the rule of law must be respected and the upcoming elections must meet the standards that Southern African Development Community states have themselves set one another.
18. Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his European counterparts on Iran. [146831]
Dr. Howells: My right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State had regular discussions with her European counterparts on Iran, most recently at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 18 June.
Next Section | Index | Home Page |