§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his Department's policy as to the separation between juveniles and young adults who have been remanded in custody or sentenced to a period of detention. [65286]
§ Mr. George HowarthPrison Service policy on the separation of male prisoners is set out in Instruction to Governors 48/1995, a copy of which is in the Library. The Prison Service is currently finalising, in consultation with the Youth Justice Board, the proposals for a new distinct estate for boys aged 15 to 17-years-old, remanded or sentenced to custody, which will better meet their needs.
Girls aged between 15 and 20 sentenced to custody should be held in young offender accommodation, unless a direction under section 1C of the Criminal Justice Act 1982, as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 1988, has been made. 15 and 16-year-old girls are remanded to the care of the local authority; section 43(2)(c) of the Prison Act 1952 requires that 17-year-olds who are remanded in custody are held in prison accommodation.
An assessment is also underway of the needs of girls under 18-years-old.
§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) boys and (b) girls up to the age of 16 are at present serving sentences in prisons in England and Wales. [65287]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe currently available information relates to the population on the last day of November 1998 and is given in the table.
276W
Population of 15 and 16 year olds under sentence in prisons in England and Wales on 30 November 1998 1 by sex Number Age Males Females 15 162 6 16 488 24 1Provisional figures