§ MR. LAWSON (St. Pancras, W.)asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether, at the Hampstead Police Court, on Wednesday, 29th December last, nine girls, whose ages ranged from 16 to 18 years, inmates of the Reformatory School for Girls, Hampstead Heath, were charged with wilfully neglecting and refusing to conform to the Rules of the place, and two of the girls, aged 18, sentenced to three months' hard labour, two others, aged 16 and 18, to two months, and two others to 10 weeks; whether, on the 31st December, the three girls not sentenced were again charged and sentenced to three months' hard labour, with two others, aged respectively 16 and 17; if, on both occasions, the only witnesses available were their prosecutors; and whether the Reformatory is under Government supervision; and, if so, whether the Inspector has issued a Report for the last three years?
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE (Mr. MATTHEWS) (Birmingham, E.)Yes, Sir, the facts as stated in the hon. Member's Question are substantially correct. The evidence of the officers of the Institution, who were the prosecutors, was corroborated by the independent testimony of several members of the Committee of Managers, who were called in to quell the disturbance. The Reformatory is under Government supervision, and has been regularly visited by the Inspector and reported upon in his Annual Report. In this particular case a special Report was made by the Inspector.