HC Deb 31 March 2004 vol 419 c1423W
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the effects of courts'(a) secure remand and (b) tagging powers. [159806]

Paul Goggins

Between April 2002 and January 2004 11,263 juveniles aged 12 to 17 received secure remands and 5,713 juveniles aged 12 to 16 were bailed with a tagging requirement. Tagging has only been available for 17 year olds since 5 January 2004 and we do not yet have figures.

Secure remand powers are intended for young people charged with the most serious and persistent offending. Youth Offending Teams' recommendations to courts reflect this approach. In addition, remand review schemes operate to identify any juveniles who would be more suitable for conditional bail on their next court appearance.

Tagging for juveniles is currently being evaluated and the findings are due to be published shortly.