HC Deb 15 December 1977 vol 941 c363W
55. Mr. Ian Lloyd

asked the Secretary of State for Transport under what provisions of what statute a court is empowered to order the endorsement of a driving licence not yet issued to a 10-year-old child involved in an incident which is alleged to have caused damage to a fork-lift truck.

Mr. Horam

Section 101 of the Road Traffic Act 1972 empowers a court to order endorsement of any licence held, or subsequently obtained within the period for which the endorsement would be operative, by a person found guilty of a relevant offence. Relevant offences include driving on a road without a licence—Section 84 of the 1972 Act—or while disqualified, which includes disqualification by reason of age—Section 99 of the same Act.

In general, proceedings may be taken against children aged 10 or more, though for children up to the age of 14 the prosecution must prove that the child both committed the offence and knew that he was doing wrong.