§ Mr. Richard Pageasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the disclosure of school reports in the juvenile court in the light of proposals made by a NACRO working group report in "Schools Reports in the Juvenile Court."
§ Mr. HurdThe working group report recommended that the contents of school reports submitted to juvenile courts to assist with sentencing decisions should be disclosed in full to both the juvenile and his parents.
After considering the comments of a wide range of interested bodies, I have concluded that young people should be aware of information which might influence the court's decision, so they have an opportunity to challenge any allegations which the reports may contain. On the other hand, full disclosure might well be harmful to the young person in some instances.
I have therefore decided that the juvenile court rules should be amended to make it clear that the disclosure provisions should apply to school reports as to others. Reports should be fully disclosed to the parents and to the child's legal representative. Reports should normally be disclosed to the juvenile, unless the court directs otherwise on the grounds of the serious harm which might be caused to the juvenile or the likelihood that the report would be beyond his or her ability to understand. These changes will be included in the next revision of the Magistrates' Courts (Children and Young Persons) Rules 1970.