§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many attendance centres are available for offenders under the age of 17 years; how many boys and how many girls attend each of such centres and on how many occasions they are bound so to attend and for how many hours; and how many in each such category of offender have been sentenced to attend because of football hooliganism.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonThere are 60 attendance centres in England and Wales available for boys under 17 years of age; there are no centres available for girls.
According to the latest available figures, in 1974, 8,703 attendance centre orders were made in respect of boys under 17, but it is not possible to say how many boys have been ordered to attend 103W at an attendance centre because of offences committed in connection with football matches.
The aggregate number of hours attendance ordered may not exceed 24 and may not be less than 12, except in the case of a child under 14 when the court may order an aggregate of less than 12 hours; attendance is limited to not more than three hours on any day and not more than one occasion on any day.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offenders aged between 17 and 21 years are attending attendance centres in Manchester and Greenwich, respectively; how many times they must attend and over what period; and how many and what percentage of such offenders were sentenced for offences in connection with football hooliganism.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonThe number of offenders liable, on 21st November 1975, to attend at the Manchester centre was 38, and at Greenwich 72.
The total number of hours for which each offender is liable to attend within the limits set out in Section 10(2) of the Criminal Justice Act 1961 is specified by the court, together with the date of the first attendance; the date and duration of subsequent attendances are specified by the officer in charge of each centre within the provisions of section 19 of the Criminal Justice Act 1948.
Of the current total of 110 offenders, 76 are liable to attend for a total of 24 hours, one for 20 hours and 33 for 12 hours. Most attendances are for two hours at a time; and offenders are generally required to attend on every day on which the centre is open until the order is discharged.
Precise information about the number of such offenders convicted in connection with football hooliganism is not available.
§ Mr. Greville Jannerasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will seek powers to extend the number of attendance centres for offenders under the age of 17, for those aged 17 to 21, and for offenders over 21 years, respectively.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonNo. Fresh statutory powers would not in any case104W be necessary to provide more centres for offenders under 21. There is no power to order offenders aged 21 years or over to attend an attendance centre and we have no plans to propose such a power.