Leighton Andrews, Minister for Public Services
This was published under the 2011 to 2016 administration of the Welsh Government
In Plenary on 4 February I committed to making available the correspondence I have had with UK ministers about the principles underpinning the proposed Rules for Secure Colleges.
I have recently corresponded with Andrew Selous MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, on this matter and this correspondence is now attached, along with the Welsh Government’s response to the consultation.
My officials will continue to work closely with Ministry of Justice counterparts and key partners to ensure any Secure College provision adequately reflects the needs and requirements of Welsh children and young people who may be accommodated there.
We agree education activities for children and young people in the secure estate should contribute to addressing offending behaviour and assist in preventing offending on release.
We have always worked very closely with criminal justice agencies to ensure young people from Wales are not disadvantaged due to the differing UK and Welsh Government responsibilities, and specifically the different curriculum and qualifications systems which exist.
We also recognise the importance of developing a gender specific approach to addressing the needs of young women and engage with criminal justice partners to progress this work.
There are currently no specific plans for a Secure College in Wales.