Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill

The right hon. Gentleman is right. I have tabled a number of the amendments in this group and I intend to speak to them, as I believe that they raise important matters to do with youth justice. I apologise in advance to other hon. Members who are waiting their turn to speak on other groups, but discussion cannot be attenuated to accommodate an insufficient programme motion. I want to put forward various points suggested by the Standing Committee for Youth Justice, an organisation that has taken a considerable interest in the first part of the Bill, which deals with youth rehabilitation orders. At the outset, let me say that the Public Bill Committee generally supported those orders and the principles that underlie them, and that hon. Members saw them as a better focused alternative option. However, the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr. Burrowes) expressed real concern that the necessary resources must be made available so that the orders could function as intended. I begin by thanking the Minister of State for what he said in his remarks opening the debate on this group of amendments. I note that Government amendments Nos. 82 and 83 respond directly to points raised by me and my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridge in Committee, and by others on Second Reading. It must be right to add an intoxicating substance treatment requirement to the provisions, and I am grateful to the Minister for recognising as much. In addition, I welcome Government amendment No. 86, which effectively replaces my amendment No. 173 and limits the effect of tariffs for indeterminate sentences for people under 18 years of age. He promised me in Committee that he would look at the matter, and he has been as good as his word. I am grateful to him for that. I turn now to new clause 40. In the main, our discussions in Committee on this section of the Bill were extremely positive and sensible. I am grateful to all who contributed, and considerable expertise was brought to our deliberations. In particular, should like to thank the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate, who I thought made an excellent contribution. New clause 40 would ensure that a child or young person would not receive a detention or training order"““unless he has previously received a youth rehabilitation order with intensive supervision and surveillance””." The aim is that the intensive supervision and surveillance option will operate in such a way as to ensure that custody for young people is the last option. That is an important point. When we were talking earlier about the overcrowding and other inadequacies of our prison system, I made the point that prison is very often ineffective in dealing with young people. It can be a very inappropriate disposal, and better options exist. We maintain that custody is the last resort for young offenders, and that courts should not use it as an earlier option.