LORDS AMENDMENT. (Hansard, 7 July 1932)

§ VISCOUNT SNOWDEN

My Lords, I think you will agree that the other place has dealt very kindly with the almost innumerable Amendments which were made to the Children and Young Persons Bill. They have disagreed totally only with one Amendment, and they are proposing not to disagree with the others, subject to comparatively slight Amendments or alterations. The first matter that arises is on Page 2 of the Bill, line 31. It deals with the building in which the juvenile courts are held. It was the purpose of the Bill as far as possible to dissociate the juvenile court from the ordinary court, and for that reason it was proposed in the Bill that the court should not be held without the permission of the Secretary of State in the ordinary police court room.

Your Lordships will note that the Commons do not disagree with the Amendment which was made by your Lordships, but suggest two rather small Amendments. They suggest that we shall leave out in line 4 "or at different times" and then in line 5 leave out "or at", so that your Lordships' Amendment will read: sit either in a different building or room from that in which sittings of courts other than juvenile courts are held, or on different days from those on which sittings of such other courts are held. The Amendment which is suggested by the House of Commons is in order to avoid what is considered to be very undesirable, that at the end of the ordinary police court's proceedings the court shall be turned into a juvenile court in the same room, still leaving it possible, 697 and indeed in most eases, I suppose, the common practice, to use the police courts but at different times. The Amendment which was made by your Lordships was urged mainly on the ground of economy, and the Amendment which is suggested by the House of Commons will not, of course, involve any additional expense. I beg to move that this House agree with the Commons Amendment.