Hansard

I welcome this debate as an opportunity to celebrate the enormous impact of this Government’s unique approach in taking money seized through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 from criminals and companies that have transgressed the law and investing it in Scotland’s young people and their communities through the cashback for communities programme. I draw the chamber’s attention to the first national evaluation of the programme, which was published earlier this week and covers the period from April 2012 to March 2014.

The money, which has been stripped from those who choose to adopt a criminal lifestyle, is channelled into cashback for communities to deliver a wealth of free sporting, cultural, youth-work, educational and employment activities and opportunities for young people up to the age of 25. The programme not only gives young people something positive and enjoyable to do but helps reduce crime and antisocial behaviour by diverting the small minority who cause trouble away from such behaviour. Of course, not all young people stray; indeed, most of them thrive on simply having something new and fulfilling to do and on doing fun and healthy things that keep them occupied, tap into their interests and bring out their full potential.

I launched the cashback for communities programme in January 2008 and, in May 2009, this Parliament debated the significant early progress that had been made as a result of the £13 million that we had invested in those first 18 months. That heralded the start of this Government’s innovative vision to benefit Scotland’s future by investing criminals’ money in our greatest assets: our young people.

Since the programme’s launch, more than £50 million has been spent or committed, delivering more than 1.5 million free activities and opportunities for young people in communities in every local authority area. From Greenock to Selkirk, from Stornoway to Lerwick and from Peterhead to Portpatrick, all of Scotland has benefited from thousands of projects covering sports, culture and youth-work activities, educational and personal development, employment training and state-of-the-art sporting facilities. Those projects give young people the opportunity to develop new interests and skills in a safe, fun and supported environment and, of course, dissuade them from straying into trouble.

As we know, antisocial behaviour and crime afflict every community. However, some are harder hit than others, which is why all cashback projects focus activity first and foremost on communities and areas where there is greatest need. That said, every young person in Scotland, regardless of their race, religion, background, gender or where they happen to live, should get the opportunity to benefit from cashback. I am convinced that our young people and communities are our greatest strength and are fundamental to a successful Scotland.

That is why this Government has now delivered on its commitment to expand cashback for communities into the next three years by committing a further £24 million of criminals’ money to take us to an unprecedented level of investment of more than £74 million. The money seized from criminals through the outstanding work of the police, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the Scottish Court Service is being channelled back into the communities where it is needed. Indeed, we have reinvested more than £3 million in the recovery process to enhance capacity and to ensure that we continue to hit criminals hard in their pockets.

As a result of more recent larger proceeds of crime recoveries, we expanded the programme to more than £50 million through to 2013-14, which provided the opportunity to widen its scope and breadth.

The sports programme was widened to provide more opportunities for young people to try something different, with investment of £336,000 in badminton, £316,000 in hockey, £149,000 in tennis, £228,000 in squash, £228,000 in athletics and £359,000 in boxing equipment and training.

The well-known high-visibility, high-participation football, basketball and rugby activities remain a core element of the programme because they provide important diversionary activities. The cashback sports programmes have provided more than 1.1 million such activities since 2008, which has undoubtedly contributed to the factors that have seen a 75 per cent fall in youth offences and a 52 per cent fall in youth crime. In so doing, they continue to help to break the cycle of youth offending in our communities.

I want to say something about supporting the grassroots development of Scottish sport. The £15 million cashback sports programme involves much more than the provision of diversionary activities. It also provides sustainable positive development pathways for young people through schools of rugby, schools of football and basketball coaching programmes. Young men and women across the country are improving their educational attainment, getting healthy, competing at regional and national level, getting coaching qualifications and putting something back into the sport as volunteers or cashback sports development coaches to bring the next generation of youngsters on. I am thinking of young people such as Daniel Meadows, who, as a youngster, got involved in cashback rugby sessions, progressed to getting coaching qualifications and is now the full-time cashback rugby development officer for the Shetland Isles.

There is just under a month to go until the Glasgow Commonwealth games open, and if we are to secure our legacy ambitions from the games and encourage more young people to be active and enjoy the many benefits that that brings, it is important that there are sporting facilities in the communities where they are needed.

The development of grassroots sports through cashback activities has been supported by the provision of quality facilities in communities.