HC Deb 08 May 1975 vol 891 cc493-5W
21. Mr. Kilroy-Silk

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the latest available figure of the number of children aged 14–16 years on remand in custody in British prisons and other detention centres, respectively; and how many of those in prisons arc first offenders.

Mr. Roy Jenkins

On 30th April, of the 178 boys and 11 girls aged 14–16 years in custody in England and Wales awaiting trial, 175 boys and five girls were in remand centres and the remainder in prisons. A further 228 boys and six girls who had been convicted were in custody awaiting sentence; of these, 223 boys and two girls were in remand centres and the remainder in prisons. It would be possible only at disproportionate cost to discover how many of these had previous convictions.

27. Sir A. Meyer

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children under the age of 17 years have been, for the period from 1st January 1974 to 1st January 1975, remanded in prison while awaiting trial for offences for which because of their age a sentence of imprisonment could not be imposed.

Mr. Roy Jenkins

Provisional figures for 1974 show that 3,756 persons under the age of 17 were received into custody in prisons and remand centres to await trial. A sentence of imprisonment cannot be imposed on any young person under the age of 17.

29. Mr. Cormack

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to make sure that children under 17 years of age who have been remanded in prison pending their trial are segregated from adult prisoners.

31. Mr. Mates

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will consider as an immediate and emergency measure the use of borstals and detention centres, with suitable segregation, as a means of effecting the immediate discharge from prison of children on remand from custody.

32. Mr. Scott

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will arrange to discharge forthwith all children remanded in custody under 17 years of age from prison to more suitable secure accommodation.

33. Mr. Peter Rees

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with the existing physical facilities for remanding young people under 17 years of age in custody.

34. Mr. Mather

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision is made for segregating young people under 17 years of age when they have to be remanded to prison establishments.

35. Mr. Peter Mills

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take powers to remand juvenile offenders under 17 years of age to suitably segregated accommodation in borstals or detention centres, so as to avoid their commitment to prisons.

Mr. Roy Jenkins

Children under the age of 14 are never held before trial in prison service establishments. It is for the courts to decide whether the remand in custody of a young person between the ages of 14 and 16 is unavoidable. Those received into prison custody are always accommodated separately from offenders over the age of 21 and, as far as is practicable, from young offenders aged 17 and under 21. With very few exceptions they are held in remand centres and not in local prisons. Every effort is made to make the most appropriate use of the accommodation available to meet their special needs. There is no accommodation in borstals or detention centres which could be adapted quickly to provide the completely separate facilities which would be necessary for young persons held on remand.

30. Mr. Marten

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children under the age of 17 years are now in prison on remand awaiting trial for offences for which because of their age a sentence of imprisonment cannot be imposed.

Mr. Roy Jenkins

I would refer the hon. Member to my answer earlier this afternoon to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Ormskirk (Mr. Kilroy-Silk). A sentence of imprisonment cannot be imposed on any young person under the age of 17.

38. Mr. Edward Gardner

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the longest period spent in prison in 1973 and 1974 by an individual child under 17 years of age remanded there to await trial or, after conviction, to await sentence.

Mr. Roy Jenkins

The longest period spent on remand in a remand centre or prison by a juvenile first received in 1973 to await trial or sentence was 198 days. Provisional information shows that the corresponding period spent by a juvenile first received in 1974 was 223 days.