§ 47. Mr. Kilroy-Silkasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is satisfied with progress on ending the remands of schoolchildren to prison; and what further steps he proposes to take to end such remands.
§ Mr. John:Progress is being made as quickly as possible in the light of the need to make alternative arrangements for such children. The Certificates of Unruly Character (Conditions) Order 1977, which came into operation on 1st August 1977, has resulted in a significant reduction of these remands. The reception of 14-year-old girls was prohibited by order on 15th March 1977 and the draft Children and Young Persons Act 1969 (Transitional Modifications of Part I) Order 1978, which is at present laid before Parliament, will, if made, complete the prohibition on certificates of unruliness for 353W all girls by 1st March 1979. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services will soon be consulting local authorities on the next step in the phasing out of these remands.