To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence about involving the Army Cadets, Sea Cadets and Air Cadets in his policies to tackle youth crime. [17140]

The Home Office operates a small grant scheme to cover the additional costs incurred when local Cadet Forces provide activities for children thought to be at risk of becoming involved in youth crime or who have already been involved in offending. This scheme was set up in 1995 to provide a variety of activities including providing positive alternatives to offending. I will shortly meet colleagues from the Ministry of Defence and the Department for Education and Employment to discuss the scheme and the role of the Cadet Forces in tackling youth crime.