HC Deb 15 December 1988 vol 143 cc1077-8
12. Mr. Gill

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has given consideration to introducing legislation which would require parents to stand trial alongside under-age members of their family brought to court for criminal offences.

Mr. Hurd

Parents can already be required to attend the court with children under 17 and to pay fines, compensation and costs imposed on such children. I wish that this provison were better known, and more widely used.

Mr. Gill

Will my right hon. Friend consider making parents' attendance at courts in these circumstances mandatory? Does he agree that the quality of our society would be best improved by stressing the individual's responsibilities to it? Does he agree that for too long now we have stressed the individual's rights in, rather than his responsibilities to, society?

Mr. Hurd

I entirely agree with the latter part of my hon. Friend's question. The Prime Minister and I have been stressing those exact points and will continue to do so.

As regards my hon. Friend's first point, it is best left to the court. One can imagine family circumstances in which it would not be reasonable to make it mandatory to attend or to pay fines and compensations. But parents attend or pay now in only 21 per cent. of cases. My hon. Friend is right that that is too few; I hope the courts will seek to increase it.

Mr. Skinner

On a point of order, Mr. Speaker—

Mr. Speaker

Order. Not now.