Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Youth Violence

Monday 29 July 2024 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department is introducing legislation to remove dangerous knives from streets and tackle online knife sales.
  • The young futures programme aims to prevent teenagers from being drawn into violence.
  • The Department will staff the young futures programme with trained professionals to support young people.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Warinder Juss Lab Wolverhampton West
Crime & Law Enforcement Education
Context

The west midlands, including Wolverhampton West, has been described as the knife crime capital of the UK. Recent incidents include the deaths of 16-year-old Terrell Marshall-Williams and 17-year-old Harleigh Hepworth.

Question

What steps her Department is taking to tackle youth violence in a region that faces high levels of knife crime, particularly focusing on recent tragedies such as the death of Terrell Marshall-Williams and Harleigh Hepworth. How does the government plan to address the causes of youth violence?

Answer from Diana R. Johnson

The Department is determined to tackle serious youth violence by introducing legislation to remove dangerous knives from streets and tackling online knife sales through new sanctions for technology executives. The young futures programme aims to prevent teenagers from being drawn into violence by bringing services together around them.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer did not specifically address the causes of youth violence such as drug abuse, mental health services, and community provision cuts mentioned in the question.

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Q2 Warinder Juss Lab Wolverhampton West
Crime & Law Enforcement Mental Health
Context

The west midlands, including Wolverhampton West, has been described as the knife crime capital of the UK. Recent incidents include the deaths of 16-year-old Terrell Marshall-Williams and 17-year-old Harleigh Hepworth.

Question

Given that issues such as drug abuse, lack of access to adequate mental health services and cuts in community provision—including youth centres—are considered to be causes of youth crime, how will my right hon. Friend's Department use initiatives such as the young futures programme to tackle not only youth violence but also its root causes?

Answer from Diana R. Johnson

The Department is determined to tackle serious youth violence through its safer streets mission and young futures programme, which will be staffed by trained professionals to support young people and prevent them from being drawn into violence. However, the answer did not provide specific commitments on addressing drug abuse, mental health services, and community provision cuts.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The answer failed to specify concrete actions or commitments regarding drug abuse, mental health services, and community provision cuts mentioned in the question.

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