HC Deb 18 March 1998 vol 308 cc632-3W
Mr. Beith

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Children's Panel and Children's Hearings system in Scotland; and what assessment he has made of the advantages of introducing elements of this system in England and Wales. [33596]

Mr. Michael

Research commissioned by the Scottish Office regarding the effectiveness of the Scottish Children's Hearing system is expected to be completed later this year. This research includes a study into decision making in the children's hearing system and a three year longitudinal study examining outcomes for a cohort of children referred to Reporters in 1995.

In developing proposals for reform of the Youth Court in England and Wales, which are set out in the White Paper "No More Excuses: a new approach to tackling youth crime in England and Wales" (Cmnd 3809), we considered the available information about the youth justice systems in other jurisdictions, including the civil Children's Hearing system in Scotland and family group conferencing approaches in New Zealand. The proposals for reforming the Youth Court, which are set out in chapter 9 of the White Paper, aim to reflect best practice from these different approaches in a way which is consistent with the youth court arrangements in England and Wales. In particular, our longer term proposals for a youth panel which would be responsible for agreeing a "contract", which would be overseen by the Youth Court, with certain young offenders (those appearing before the Youth Court for the first time and who plead guilty) provide an opportunity for a restorative approach to be introduced. These contracts would ensure that the young person made amends to the victim or the community at large and would tackle the causes of the offending behaviour. Experience in Scotland, in New Zealand and elsewhere has informed our consideration of how best to deal with young offenders in England and Wales and the development of the proposals set out in "No More Excuses" and in the Crime and Disorder Bill.