§ 67. Mr. TURTONasked the Home Secretary in how many cases since 20th April, 1934, have courts of summary jurisdiction remanded a defendant for a medical report in the manner recommended by the Home Office circular of 20th April, 1934?
§ Mr. LLOYDSeparate figures for the last eight months of 1934 are not available. The number of persons remanded to prison for a medical report during the whole of that year was 2,596 (1,945 men and 651 women), and during 1935 it was 2,703 (2,035 men and 668 women).
§ 68. Mr. TURTONasked the Home Secretary whether, with a view to making appropriate provision for the accommodation of such cases, he will issue a circular to magistrates asking them to give an estimate of the number of cases each year that corm before them where medical or psychological treatment, as recommended by the Departmental Committee on Persistent Offenders, would in their opinion be of value?
§ Mr. LLOYDI am afraid it would not be practicable to obtain in the manner suggested estimates which would be of value, The question whether a, particular offender is suitable for treatment of the kind indicated is often one of difficulty and may require skilled investigation over a considerable period. It would be impossible to obtain from each of the 1,000 courts of summary jurisdiction estimates framed on a common basis or forming a reliable guide to the probable number of offenders for whom some form of medical or psychological treatment would be appropriate.
§ Mr. TURTONAs it is now nearly four years since the committee reported and made this recommendation, will my hon. Friend take into account that fact and the grave dissatisfaction which exists at the delay in carrying it out?
§ Mr. LLOYDThe Home Secretary has sent a circular to the courts. It may have arrived at different times, but there is no reason to suppose that the courts are not acting on it.