We have not made a specific assessment of the effectiveness of the youth justice system in reducing reoffending in relation to the requested offences. However, please refer to the tables attached which show the proven reoffending rates for children and young adults (18-24) convicted of these offences. To note that volumes are too low to reproduce reoffending rates for children convicted of dangerous driving offences.

The principal aim of the youth justice system is to protect the public by preventing offending by children. In the Youth Justice White Paper published earlier this year, the Government laid out a range of robust interventions to deliver on that aim, with a particular focus on early intervention and strengthening youth justice services. Youth justice services are empowered to design specific provision that works best for their local area. For example, Leicestershire Youth Justice Services’ deliver the Brake! programme, which is used for children involved in driving offences.

The number of children and 18-24 year olds convicted of the requested offences, and the number of people in each category with one or more convictions, can be found attached.

The Ministry of Justice does not routinely collect specific data on staff turnover or changes of allocated workers in youth justice services.

However, the Government recognises the importance of a skilled workforce and continuity of support in reducing offending in the youth justice system.

This year, the Government introduced three-year core grant funding settlements (£93.6 million a year for the next three years) to youth justice services, providing greater certainty to plan ahead, invest in their workforce and deliver consistent, effective support to children.

In July 2026, the Department published a consultation on reforms to the oversight and funding of youth justice services, including proposed changes to the youth justice standards. Decisions on the content of national standards will be set out as part of the Government response later this year.

My hon. Friend is right that youth services and support for early intervention is at the heart of tackling reoffending. We know that 80% of adult prolific offenders commit their first offence when they are a child, so early intervention is crucial. Dealing with young offenders is at the heart of what we published in the youth justice White Paper earlier this year and what this Government are doing.

Early intervention is key to tackling youth offending, and our Government’s commitment to new youth hubs is essential to support at-risk young people and steer them away from a life of crime. Constituents of mine in Cefn Mawr, Plas Madoc, Acrefair and Ruabon have reported a rise in antisocial behaviour among young people. Would my hon. Friend agree that a new youth hub in Plas Madoc would go a long way to addressing this problem?

My hon. Friend is right that tackling reoffending and youth crime needs a cross-Government effort. It is an issue for the Department for Education, the Home Office, the Department for Work and Pensions and indeed the Ministry of Justice. That is why on Thursday I will be in No. 10 North with colleagues from across Government launching our new strategy to devolve youth justice services so that they serve places and localities and the people within them.

To break the cycle of offending and reoffending in young people, we need to do more to give young people opportunity and something productive to do. What discussions has the Minister had with Alan Milburn about his review, and how can we ensure that young offenders are put on a more productive pathway?

The hon. Member is right. It is an issue in my constituency as well: I hear about it a lot from constituents and see it for myself outside my constituency office in Dinnington. How the police enforce the law on our streets is obviously a matter for them, but I have been introducing reforms in the youth justice system to implement more rigorous community punishments for young offenders and, critically, to look at parenting orders. It is not just a job for Government to ensure that young people turn their back on crime; it is also their parents’ responsibility, and we want to ensure that that responsibility is felt.

My constituents are extremely concerned about young people on e-bikes and e-scooters repeatedly committing crimes and antisocial behaviour. There is a feeling that those individuals get away with that behaviour and put other people in danger. Will the Minister assure me that the justice system is robust enough to punish every individual involved in that reckless behaviour?

The hon. Member is right to raise the issue, as death by dangerous driving is a horrific crime. In fact, straight after questions I will be meeting a victim of that very offence and next week I will meet the chair of the Sentencing Council. We can certainly look into how we can ensure that those who celebrate such offending are treated in the right way.

Social media is being flooded by videos, often shared by young people, glorifying dangerous driving on roads like Beachy Head Road in Eastbourne, where dangerous driving claimed the life of 17-year-old Oakley Meer. While dangerous driving is a crime, its glorification is not necessarily. What steps is the Ministry of Justice taking to crack down on that, working with Ofcom, to achieve justice for Oakley and his family, who are campaigning to make that road safer?

On 1 September, the Lord Chancellor announced from this Dispatch Box a further £4.5 million to better support and supervise children, in order to move them away from criminality. Earlier this year, we published the youth justice White Paper, and we are getting on with the job of delivering that reform across the country.

What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle youth offending.

On 1 September, the Lord Chancellor announced from this Dispatch Box a further £4.5 million to better support and supervise children, in order to move them away from criminality. Earlier this year, we published the youth justice White Paper, and we are getting on with the job of delivering that reform across the country.

The department is funding the Youth Endowment Fund to build the evidence base on what works to prevent children and young people becoming involved in violence, including knife crime, and to make this evidence and practical resources available to schools. Schools can draw on this evidence-informed guidance, alongside resources such as the ‘Leading violence prevention in education: putting what works into action’ programme delivered in partnership with the department.

The government is committed to preventing children and young people from becoming involved in violence and knife crime. Through statutory relationships, sex and health education, secondary schools are expected to teach pupils about personal safety, the risks associated with weapons, gangs and exploitation, and the consequences of involvement in crime and violence.

Education has a vital role to play in preventing violence, and schools are best placed to determine how this content is delivered, taking account of the needs of their pupils and local circumstances, including through engagement with police, youth services and other local partners.

The powers provided by the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 are deliberately local in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances.

The Government is committed to supporting the effective use of ASB powers, while recognising that decisions on their use must reflect local circumstances. The Home Office publishes statutory guidance and works with policing and criminal justice partners to support their use. This includes encouraging early engagement between the police and prosecutors so that potential CBO applications can be identified at the earliest opportunity. The guidance also sets out the process for dispersal directions which allows uniformed officers to respond quickly to ASB, crime or disorder.

The Government has not made a specific assessment of the effectiveness of PSPOs in tackling persistent youth violence and intimidation in residential neighbourhoods. PSPOs provide local authorities with a flexible power to address persistent ASB in public spaces, where the statutory test is met. Decisions on their use are made locally by agencies that understand the challenges facing their communities.

The new ASB data-reporting requirements for local agencies will provide greater transparency and improve understanding of how ASB powers, including PSPOs, are being used.

We have also strengthened the ASB toolkit through the Crime and Policing Act 2026. This includes extending the maximum period of a dispersal direction from 48 to 72 hours, helping the police respond swiftly and effectively to ASB. We have also increased the maximum fixed penalty notice for breaching a PSPO from £100 to £500, introduced new ASB data-reporting requirements, and created Respect Orders to tackle the most persistent adult perpetrators.

More broadly, the Government is supporting police forces to tackle all forms of ASB, including drink-related ASB. Every police force in England and Wales now has an ASB lead working with local partners to deliver community-based responses through local ASB Action Plans. The ASB Action Plan for Leicestershire Police can be found here - https://www.leics.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/asb/asb/antisocial-behaviour/antisocial-behaviour-action-plan/

The Government recognises the importance of intervening early to prevent young people from being drawn into crime, using evidence-based support that responds to their individual needs. The Youth Endowment Fund’s Toolkit provides accessible evidence on the effectiveness of different approaches to preventing youth violence, including mentoring and interventions focused on children and young people’s social and emotional needs.

To support effective local delivery of these interventions we have provided over £66m this year to Violence Reduction Units and Serious Violence Duty partnerships. These partnerships use local Problem Profiles or Strategic Needs Assessments to identify the drivers of serious violence in their areas and develop a multi-agency response. They will then determine which interventions are most appropriate to address those needs and their delivery plans often include mentoring, mental health support and other forms of targeted early intervention.

We are also testing new means of identifying and supporting this cohort of children through our Young Futures Panel pilots, which went operational in over 50 local authorities in October 2025 and have so far reached over 1,700 young people, with thousands more on track to be supported before the end of the financial year.

On 1 April 2026 new guidance was published by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice to ensure every child caught carrying a knife will be given a mandatory, targeted plan produced by Police and Youth Justice Services to turn them away from crime. It is estimated this will put support in place for around 1,000 children that currently get no support or intervention following being caught in possession of a knife.

We are working to improve multi-agency information sharing, The Serious Violence Duty places a legal requirement on police, local authorities, youth offending teams, health, fire and probation services to work together, analyse the drivers of serious violence in their areas and develop local strategies to tackle it. The Serious Violence Duty is supported by powers to share data and information, helping agencies identify vulnerable young people earlier and provide effective interventions before violence occurs.

The Home Office is piloting more than 50 Young Futures Panels to identify children and young people at risk of violence or exploitation and connect them to appropriate support, including mentoring and trusted adult interventions. Through the programme, local areas are supported to commission evidence-informed interventions that respond to local needs.

The 2025 independent evaluation of Violence Reduction Units found that, together with hotspot policing, they have reduced violence among under-25s, preventing an estimated 3,750 hospital admissions for violent injury and 550 admissions for assault with a sharp object since 2019.

We are also taking action in response to concerns about children being vulnerable to gang exploitation. The Home Office is funding the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to strengthen the intelligence-led law enforcement response to county lines drug dealing and child criminal exploitation. Since July 2024, activity coordinated through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 4,500 deal lines being closed, 12,600 arrests, 6,900 safeguarding referrals and 1,900 knives being seized. Independent evaluation found that the programme reduced hospitalisations resulting from knife stabbings by 25% across key exporter force areas.

The Government continues to encourage police forces to undertake a series of coordinated national weeks of action to tackle knife crime under Sceptre. The operation includes targeted stop and searches, weapon sweeps of hotspot areas, surrender of knives, including through amnesty bins, test purchases of knives from retailers, and educational events. The latest phase of Sceptre took place between 18 and 24 May 2026.

On 1 April 2026 new guidance was published by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice to ensure every child caught carrying a knife will be given a mandatory, targeted plan produced by Police and Youth Justice Services to turn them away from crime. It is estimated this will put support in place for around 1,000 children that currently get no support or intervention following being caught in possession of a knife.

We are working to improve multi-agency information sharing, The Serious Violence Duty places a legal requirement on police, local authorities, youth offending teams, health, fire and probation services to work together, analyse the drivers of serious violence in their areas and develop local strategies to tackle it. The Serious Violence Duty is supported by powers to share data and information, helping agencies identify vulnerable young people earlier and provide effective interventions before violence occurs.

The Home Office is piloting more than 50 Young Futures Panels to identify children and young people at risk of violence or exploitation and connect them to appropriate support, including mentoring and trusted adult interventions. Through the programme, local areas are supported to commission evidence-informed interventions that respond to local needs.

The 2025 independent evaluation of Violence Reduction Units found that, together with hotspot policing, they have reduced violence among under-25s, preventing an estimated 3,750 hospital admissions for violent injury and 550 admissions for assault with a sharp object since 2019.

We are also taking action in response to concerns about children being vulnerable to gang exploitation. The Home Office is funding the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to strengthen the intelligence-led law enforcement response to county lines drug dealing and child criminal exploitation. Since July 2024, activity coordinated through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 4,500 deal lines being closed, 12,600 arrests, 6,900 safeguarding referrals and 1,900 knives being seized. Independent evaluation found that the programme reduced hospitalisations resulting from knife stabbings by 25% across key exporter force areas.

The Government continues to encourage police forces to undertake a series of coordinated national weeks of action to tackle knife crime under Sceptre. The operation includes targeted stop and searches, weapon sweeps of hotspot areas, surrender of knives, including through amnesty bins, test purchases of knives from retailers, and educational events. The latest phase of Sceptre took place between 18 and 24 May 2026.

On 1 April 2026 new guidance was published by the Home Office and Ministry of Justice to ensure every child caught carrying a knife will be given a mandatory, targeted plan produced by Police and Youth Justice Services to turn them away from crime. It is estimated this will put support in place for around 1,000 children that currently get no support or intervention following being caught in possession of a knife.

We are working to improve multi-agency information sharing, The Serious Violence Duty places a legal requirement on police, local authorities, youth offending teams, health, fire and probation services to work together, analyse the drivers of serious violence in their areas and develop local strategies to tackle it. The Serious Violence Duty is supported by powers to share data and information, helping agencies identify vulnerable young people earlier and provide effective interventions before violence occurs.

The Home Office is piloting more than 50 Young Futures Panels to identify children and young people at risk of violence or exploitation and connect them to appropriate support, including mentoring and trusted adult interventions. Through the programme, local areas are supported to commission evidence-informed interventions that respond to local needs.

The 2025 independent evaluation of Violence Reduction Units found that, together with hotspot policing, they have reduced violence among under-25s, preventing an estimated 3,750 hospital admissions for violent injury and 550 admissions for assault with a sharp object since 2019.

We are also taking action in response to concerns about children being vulnerable to gang exploitation. The Home Office is funding the National County Lines Co-ordination Centre to strengthen the intelligence-led law enforcement response to county lines drug dealing and child criminal exploitation. Since July 2024, activity coordinated through the County Lines Programme has resulted in over 4,500 deal lines being closed, 12,600 arrests, 6,900 safeguarding referrals and 1,900 knives being seized. Independent evaluation found that the programme reduced hospitalisations resulting from knife stabbings by 25% across key exporter force areas.

The Government continues to encourage police forces to undertake a series of coordinated national weeks of action to tackle knife crime under Sceptre. The operation includes targeted stop and searches, weapon sweeps of hotspot areas, surrender of knives, including through amnesty bins, test purchases of knives from retailers, and educational events. The latest phase of Sceptre took place between 18 and 24 May 2026.

This Government knows that too many young people with a criminal record are being locked out of education, employment and other opportunities long after they have left their offending behind. That is not in their interests, and it is not in the public interest either.

The Youth Justice White Paper (Cutting youth crime, changing young lives) committed to consulting on a targeted, proportionate package of reforms to the disclosure of youth criminal records by the end of this year. The responses to the consultation will help to inform changes to the current disclosure regime.