§ MR. HENRY J. WILSON (York, W.R., Holmfirth)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for India whether the Indian Reformatory Schools Act, 1876, does not provide for the confinement of girls, but only for boys; whether a recent Gazette of India published the draft of an amending Act which, however, makes no provision for young female offenders; whether young female offenders are confined in gaols where they are obliged to associate with professional thieves and other adult criminals; and whether he can take some steps to ameliorate this condition of affairs?
§ * THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDIA (Lord GEORGE HAMILTON,) Middlesex, EalingIt is the case that neither the Act nor the amending Bill contain any provision for young female offenders. Such offenders, if sentenced to imprisonment, can only be accommodated in the wards set aside for female convicts. The number of young female offenders is very small, and it may be doubted whether many of the Local Governments are in a position to provide separate Reformatories for them, but a proposal to enable this to be done is before the Select Committee to which the amending Bill has been referred, and I will also send out the hon. Member's Question and this answer for their consideration.