§ SIR HOWARD VINCENT (Sheffield, Central)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he 556 proposes to issue a circular to the Courts of summary jurisdiction under his supervision in London and elsewhere, calling attention to the beneficial results in Canada, Australia, Ireland, and America attending the hearing of cases and applications in which children under sixteen are concerned apart from the adult criminal business and from the pernicious influence of ordinary night charges; and if pending the enactment of the Bill definitely legalising this procedure, he will recommend the extension to other places of the experiments made in this direction in Manchester, Birmingham, and Bradford.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Mr. AKERS-DOUGLAS,) Kent, St. Augustine'sI have recently been in communication with the magistrates of the Metropolitan Police Courts on this subject, and, while, so far as these Courts are concerned, I am satisfied that the present arrangements are, generally speaking, sufficient to secure the desired end, I have, in consultation with the chief magistrate, laid down certain rules on the subject which will secure uniformity of practice. I am now considering what steps I can usefully take to encourage the adoption of similar arrangements in other Courts where they are not already in existence.