§ 69. Mr. A. Lewisasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the recent conference he held with his right hon. Friend the Minister of Education, the London County Council, and others, on the question of juvenile delinquency.
§ Mr. EdeA central conference on juvenile delinquency arranged by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Education and myself was held in London at the beginning of March, and was attended by representatives of the churches, local authorities, juvenile courts, teachers, and voluntary organisations. After that conference, we invited the chairmen of county councils and the lord mayors and mayors of county boroughs to convene local conferences, and sent to them a memorandum a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. The memorandum suggests that each local conference should invite the organisations164W concerned to nominate representatives who would meet at regular intervals to find out the facts about juvenile delinquency in the area and to study the main contributory influences with a view to preventive measures and remedies being applied by the statutory and voluntary agencies. A number of local conferences have been held, including one arranged by the London County Council, and my right hon. Friend and I have every hope that they will Shave useful and far-reaching results. In this field, however, progress can be made only by continuous application and sustained effort.