§ 81. Mr. Thorneasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department Whether he has seen the statement made by Mr. Basil Henriques, Chairman of the East London Juvenile Court in Hackney on 7th December, about girls who come before him and soldiers in uniform; and what he intends doing in the matter?
§ The Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Home Security (Miss Wilkinson)My hon. Friend has been 1401 good enough to send to the Home Secretary the newspaper extract on which his Question is based; but the subject is, of course, one which has already been receiving much attention not only by the Home Office, but by other Government Departments, by Local Education Authorities, by the Courts, by the Churches and by numerous voluntary organisations. It would not be possible within the compass of a reply to a Question to set out all that is being done, but the Home Secretary is in sympathy with my hon. Friend's desire that public attention should be given to the problem and especially to the need for the inculcation of standards of conduct by parents and all who are responsible for the training of young people.
§ Mr. ThorneMay I ask the hon. Lady whether the Home Secretary intends doing anything in regard to this disgraceful picture?
§ Earl WintertonNo.
§ Mr. ThorneYes, it is.
§ Miss WilkinsonI understand that this film was passed by the British Board of Film Censors and that the Film Institute regarded it as suited for adolescents as well as for adults, and actually no objection has been taken by any of the local authorities who are the licensing authorities and the Cinematograph Exhibitors.
Viscountess AstorDo the Government not think that it is time they definitely changed the Board of Censors of British Films? I know that they have an octogenarian who was appointed as an octogenarian, and he is still there.
§ Earl WintertonIs it not a fact that a great number of people with no knowledge of juvenile crime whatever ascribe it to all sorts of things which are, in many cases, quite unfounded?