§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision is made for continuing the education of those children on remand in custody who are of school age.
§ Dr. SummerskillIt is difficult to ensure that education is continued appropriately in every case, especially where, exceptionally, an individual of school age is remanded to a prison. On such occasions, arrangements depend on the stage reached in the individual's education and the period of the remand. At remand centres it is the aim to provide daytime classes. This has been achieved at all but two, where regular arrangements will be made as soon as fulltime teachers can be appointed.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what degree of success he has achieved as a result of the steps he has taken to encourage courts to remand children on bail rather than in custody.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonThe steps referred to related to bail in general. The percentage of remands on bail has risen steadily over the period for which recent statistics are available.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what plans he has to phase out the use of the unruly certificate as provided in the Children and Young Persons Act 1969;
(2) if he now intends to proceed to phase out unruly certificates for girls as reported in the Official Report, columns 987–88, 2nd May 1975; by what date; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonIt is the Government's policy to phase out remands of juveniles to prison department establishments under unruly certificates as soon as adequate alternative secure accommodation is available within the local authority community homes system. As I told the House on 2nd May—[Vol. 891, c. 979–88]—we should like to make a start by phasing out the remands under unruly certificates of girls aged 14, and this possibility is being urgently examined. 289W We cannot yet say when it will be possible.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department why, given his commitment to phase out unruly certificates for girls aged 14 years, he is not extending it to boys of the same age.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonI have already explained to my hon. Friend that it is the Government's policy to phase out all these remands as alternative secure accommodation becomes available.
§ Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will seek to amend the Children and Young Persons Act to provide that no children between the age of 14 and 16 years will be committed to prison establishments under any circumstances; and, if not, why not.
§ Mr. Alexander W. LyonNo. The Act already makes provision for ending the use of borstal training and detention centres for persons under 17, but this can only be done when suitable alternative facilities are available in the local authority system. The Act also empowers the Secretary of State to raise by order the minimum age at which young people can be remanded to prison department establishments under unruly certificates, and we have already made clear our desire to phase out such remands.