HC Deb 03 July 1973 vol 859 cc97-8W
Mr. Greville Janner

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been brought in each of the past 20 years for which records are available under Section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 and how many such prosecutions resulted in convictions; and how many of such successful and unsuccessful prosecutions resulted from children being left alone at home or in motor vehicles, respectively.

Mr. Carlisle

The statistics of persons proceeded against or found guilty of offences under Section 1 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 are included in a single classification in the Criminal Statistics with those of persons dealt with for other similar offences. The cost of providing separate figures would be disproportionate. The following is the available information:

OFFENCES CLASSIFIED AS CRUELTY OR NEGLECT OF CHILDREN: ENGLAND AND WALES, 1953–72
Persons proceeded against Persons found guilty
1953 1,042 933
1954 890 822
1955 1,040 967
1956 825 758
1957 879 791
1958 726 666
1959 713 653
1960 734 686
1961 850 788
1962 918 870
1963 716 673
1964 691 625
1965 591 555
1966 448 415
1967 428 387
1968 411 366
1969 417 367
1970 315 274
1971 253 207
1972 219 177

The statistics do not show separately those offences which arose through a child being left unattended.