§ Mr. Viggersasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many detention orders have been passed on young people of the age of 14 years and below during the last year for which records are available.
§ Mr. JohnA detention centre order cannot be made in respect of a person under the age of 14. Separate statistics for 14 year olds are not readily available. The most relevant information, which is 637W published in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 1976"—Crrind. 6909—shows that 5,388 offenders aged 14 to 16 inclusive were made subject to a detention centre order in that year.
§ Mr. Viggersasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions during the last year for which records are available magistrates wished to impose a detention order but were unable to do so because there were no vacancies in appropriate detention centres.
§ Dr. SummerskillI regret that this information is not available.