§ 19. Mr. Brooksasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce legislation to permit the imposition of financial penalties upon the parents of children who have committed persistent acts of vandalism involving damage to public and private property.
§ Mr. CallaghanWhere proceedings are taken in respect of children under 17, the courts can already bind over their parents in a sum of money, and order the parents to pay any fine or compensation imposed.
§ Mr. BrooksIs my right hon. Friend aware that many of us have the greatest admiration for the constructive work being done, notably by his Department, in tackling the problem of children in trouble? Does he not agree that further ways must be found to establish parental responsibility and to tell parents bluntly that if they continue to pass the buck to the State they may find themselves passing more than a buck to the courts?
§ Mr. CallaghanMy hon. Friend expresses a generally-held opinion on this matter, and that is why I am ready to draw attention to the existing court powers. Whether the courts use them is a matter for the courts rather than for me.
§ Mr. CarlisleDoes the Home Secretary agree that the existing powers to which he has referred were both carried as a result of Amendments pressed from this side of the House and were not in the Government's original proposals?
§ Mr. CallaghanYes, that is absolutely true. The hon. Gentleman needs some consolation on a day like this.