Clause 1

Part of Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill – in a Public Bill Committee am 5:30 pm ar 23 Hydref 2007.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Edward Garnier Edward Garnier Shadow Minister (Justice) 5:30, 23 Hydref 2007

Good, that is reassuring and I look forward to reading next year the York university evaluation of the system. It begs the question whether we are introducing this too early—can we delay, will we delay or is it necessary to delay the implementation of this aspect of the Bill until the York university study has been completed?

I am still concerned about the multiplicity of Government agencies that will be looking after the system. I now discover that the Department for Children, Schools and Families will get its oar into this, as well as local authorities and the Ministry of Justice and its subsidiaries, such as the Youth Justice Board. There are far too many people running the show. We need to have one agency co-ordinating the system and a Minister of State driving it, because once the political drive and the organisational coherence are lost, the thing begins to splinter and people start empire building. It is we, the public, who lose out because we, the public, are the ones who suffer from the reoffending. The youngsters falling into the criminal justice system lose out as well.

This has been a useful debate, albeit it has nothing to do with the amendment. But frankly, so what?