Clause 41 - Report by local authority in
Anti-social Behaviour Bill
3:45 pm
Mr Bob Ainsworth (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Home Office; Coventry North East, Labour)
Let me repeat that we are talking about young people—10 and 11-year-olds—who are persistent offenders. There will not be a huge number of them. We are also talking about a criminal justice system that we have done a lot to try to speed up. It is not in the interests of justice to allow unreasonable delays to remain part of the system. Seven days is sufficient to give what is not a full assessment but a report to the court on what it will mean for the child concerned if the court takes a certain decision.