§ 39. Dame Irene Wardasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will introduce legislation to empower whipping of young people who commit sabotage on railway lines and the imposition of appropriate fines on parents.
§ Miss BaconAs regards whipping. I would refer the hon. Member to the Answer I gave on 4th May to a Question by the hon. Member for Louth (Sir C. Osborne). The law already provides in Section 55 of the Children and Young Persons Act, 1933, that when a court imposes a fine on an offender under the age of 17, it may, and shall if the offender is under 14 years of age, order the parent or guardian of the offender to pay, unless the court is satisfied that the parent or guardian cannot be found or has not conduced to the commission of the offence by neglecting to exercise due care of the offender.