§ Mr. DunnachieTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what information is collected on numbers of illegally employed children in Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MullinTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the number of children illegally employed in Great Britain; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe available information relating to prosecutions and convictions for the illegal employment of children in different areas of employment is shown in the tables.
(a) Non-Industrial undertakings
Figures notified to the Home Office for prosecutions and convictions in England and Wales under sections 18, 19 and 20 of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933:
Year Prosecutions Convictions 1979 23 18 1980 26 25 1981 24 22 1982 17 16 1983 12 12 1984 12 9 1985 11 9 1986 2 2 1987 8 8 1988 28 22 Comparable figures are not available for Scotland.
(b) Industrial undertakings
Prosecutions by the HM factory and agricultural inspectorates under Section 1 of the Employment of Women, Young Persons and Children Act 1920 and concerning the illegal employment of children:
890W
Year (a) Informations Laid Convictions 1981 4 4 1982 4 4 1983 3 3 1984 6 6 1985 8 6 1986–Q1 4 4 1986–87 11 9 1987–88 2 2 1988–89p 7 7 1981–1985—Calendar years 1986—Q1–1 January to 31 March 1986–87 onwards—Years commencing 1 April p—provisional (c) Agricultural undertakings
Information laid by HM agricultural inspectorate against persons at work who put at risk children under the age of 16 by the contravention of agricultural legislation:
Year (a) Informations Laid Convictions 1981 40 37 1982 31 24 1983 18 16 1984 16 15 1985 30 27 1986 27 22 1987 21 15 1988–Q1 3 3 1988–89p 18 17 1981–1987—Calendar years 1988—Q1–1 January to 31 March 1988–89p—Year commencing 1 April p—provisional Figures for industrial and agricultural undertakings apply to Great Britain.