§ Mr. HoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultation he has had with representatives of the children's panel on the way to deal with persistent juvenile offenders aged between 12 and 15 years.
§ Mr. Stewart[holding answer 2 March 1993]: Officials of the Scottish Office meet representatives of the children's panels regularly to discuss issues affecting children who are referred to reporters on offence and non-offence grounds. In addition there is a children's hearings representative group which meets twice a year under the chairmanship of a Scottish Office official.
§ Mr. HoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the maximum custodial sentence available to the courts for a persistent juvenile offender aged(a) 14 years and (b) 17 years in (i) 1979 and (ii) 1992.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 2 March 1993]: The term "persistent juvenile offender" is not legally defined but there is a range of sentences—custodial and non-custodial—available to the courts for a 14 or 17-year-old convicted on indictment. The maximum custodial sentence available for both these age groups for the most serious crimes—including murder where the sentence is mandatory—is detention without limit of time.
§ Mr. HoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many juveniles have been convicted of offences involving the carrying or using of knives in(a) 1990, (b) 1991 and (c) June 1991 to July 1992.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 2 March 1993]: Information is held centrally only on the numbers of persons with a main charge proved of possession of an offensive weapon under the Prevention of Crime Act 1953. The number of persons aged less than 16 years and the number of 16 and 17-year-olds with a main charge proved of possession of an offensive weapon are shown in the table. The information relates to 1990 and 1991, the latest years for which data are available.
Age 1990 1991 Less than 16 years 2 2 17 and 17-year-olds 202 181