HC Deb 17 March 1930 vol 236 cc1718-9W
Mr. BENSON

asked the Home Secretary the number of non-juvenile cases of birching in each of the last 10 years and the Acts under which the penalty was inflicted?

Mr. CLYNES

The following table gives the numbers of persons over 16 years of age who were ordered to be birched in each of the years 1919 to 1928 inclusive and the Statutes under which the birchings were ordered.

Statutes under which ordered. 1919. 1920. 1921. 1922. 1923. 1924. 1925. 1926. 1927. 1928.
(1) Vagrancy Act (1824) 2 3 3 2 1
(2) Criminal Law Amendment Act (1912). 2 1 2
(3) Larceny Act (1916) Section 23 and the Garrotters Act (1863). 1 3 4 2 1 2
(4) Prisons Act (1898), Section 5. 4 2 3 6 9 3 5 4 5 8
Totals 6 8 3 10 16 8 7 5 5 10