§ 3.2 p.m.
§ Lord ORR-EWINGMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether courts will sit over holiday weekends so as to dispense summary justice to those arrested for hooliganism.
The PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY of STATE, HOME OFFICE (Lord Bel stead)My Lords, it is for magistrates' courts themselves to decide whether circumstances justify arranging special weekend sittings.
§ Lord ORR-EWINGMy Lords, is my noble friend aware that a Saturday sitting can often be arranged at short notice on the telephone? But that now that hooligans visit seaside resorts on Monday bank holidays, that it is much more difficult to get a court together in those circumstances? If we are to continue to have very large numbers of police deployed, and very large disturbances at some of the seaside towns on bank holiday Mondays, cannot the Home Office look at this problem?
§ Lord BELSTEADMy Lords, I agree with my noble friend that Saturday sittings and bank holiday sittings can be arranged at short notice, but as my noble friend is very probably aware, they are arranged at the discretion of the court, very often at the request of the police, and not least when hooliganism appears to be likely. I agree with my noble friend that when this happens it reduces the number of offenders who, for instance, the police would be required to hold in custody, and is, therefore, desirable. However, this is not a situation in which the Home Office would be giving directions to the courts.
§ Lord ELWYN-JONESMy Lords, when the noble Lord is asked, as the Question asks, whether courts will administer summary justice— whatever that may mean— to alleged hooligans, will be agree that even hooligans are entitled to the same standards of justice as any other accused person?
§ Lord BELSTEADMy Lords, I certainly agree with the noble and learned Lord that there are many cases which simply cannot be dealt with by holding courts called together at very short notice.
§ Baroness MACLEOD of BORVEMy Lords, is my noble friend aware that throughout the country magistrates are used to sitting on Saturdays in an emergency, but that bank holidays are rather different because bank holidays are a holiday for court staffs? Magistrates, being unpaid, would of course always be willing to come into a court at any time and on any day, but court staffs are entitled to their holidays as well as anybody else.
§ Lord BELSTEADMy Lords, I am grateful to my noble friend Lady Macleod of Borve for what she has said. Perhaps I may just add one matter which arises from my noble friend's Question. The point made by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Elwyn-Jones, is important for me to take on board. Clearly, there are cases which cannot be dealt with in any courts— the magistrates' court is the subject of my noble friend's Question— when the courts are called together at short notice. Like my noble friend Lord Orr-Ewing, we are all concerned that hooliganism should be contained and reduced, and I suggest to your Lordships' House that there are other ways of looking at this. Your Lordships might be interested to hear that the number of attendance centres throughout the country, which are a way of instilling some discipline into the lives of some young people, has been very considerably increased during the period of the last year.