§ Mr. Fieldasked the Secretary of State for Employment how many cases of the employment of minors were known to his Department in each of the last three years; how many resulted in prosecution; and what was the outcome of the prosecutions.
§ Dr. BoysonI have been asked to reply.
A wide range of employment legislation restricts the sort if work which can be undertaken by minors, whether or not they haw left school and I am advised by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department that comprehensive information on resulting prosecutions is not available because some proceedings may be under legislation which does not identify the circumstances of the offence.
The only information available relates to the number of persons prosecuted for offences against the Employment of Children Acts. Control of the employment of children of compulsory school age under this legislation and local byelaws is exercised by local education authorities, but they are not required to report on this matter to my Department. Information about prosecutions is published annually in "Criminal Statistics—England and Wales". For 1977 to 1979, the last three years for which figures are available, the information is as follows: 498W
Number of Prosecutions under the Employment of Children Acts England and Wales 1977 1978 1979 Proceeded against 72 29 38 Charges withdrawn or dismissed 6 1 6 Found guilty 66 28 30 of which — discharged 5 — 4 — fined 61 28 26