§ Dr. Petersasked the Home Secretary whether, having regard to the increase in juvenile offenders for whom there is now no accommodation in existing institutions, he will appoint a committee to consider and advise him of any alterations in the law or method of dealing with juvenile offenders, especially during the period of the present war, or consider drafting these young offenders during the present emergency into the services, voluntary or otherwise, and thus be subject to discipline and control and in this way find an outlet for their activities?
§ Mr. H. MorrisonThe lack of accommodation in institutions, to which my hon. Friend specially refers, is due mainly to the absence of suitable premises and the difficulty of building under war conditions, but I am glad to say that the position is now more satisfactory. Many new approved schools have been opened, or are in process of being opened, and I hope that the number of those awaiting vacancies will soon be substantially reduced. The increase in the number of juvenile offenders since the war began, as pointed out in the joint memorandum issued in June, 1941, by the then President of the Board of Education and myself, is due mainly to social disturbances and other war conditions and the most hopeful means of counteracting these influences would appear to lie in constructive measures. The Government is fully aware of the value of giving older boys and girls some opportunity of service to their country and every means of doing so is continually under consideration. The measures taken by the Board of Education to organise and develop the Youth Service, on the lines described in the memorandum already referred to, continue to yield good results and they are being greatly strengthened by the decision that boys and girls between 16 and 18 are to register with the object of bringing them within the influence of the various youth organisations whether Cadets, A.T.S., Home Guards or civilian organisations, and particularly of employing their spare time on training in service1344W for the nation. Arrangements are already in existence for maintaining close contact between my Department, the Board of Education, the local education authorities and the voluntary organisations for the purpose of developing measures for dealing with this problem, and I do not think that the appointment of another committee at the present time would be the most helpful or speedy method of securing progress.