Further written evidence to be reported to the House
Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill
10:30 am
David Heath (Shadow Secretary of State for Justice & Lord Chancellor, Ministry of Justice; Somerton and Frome, Liberal Democrat)
I welcome you, Sir Nicholas, and other hon. Members to the Committee. I do not whether it is because mine is a deeply reactionary nature, but I feel more comfortable in these surroundings than I did in the other room.
This series of probing amendments is intended to gain a clear view from the Government about the precise age range that the orders will cover. Amendment No. 164 suggests a lower age limit of 10, amendment No. 165 one of 12, and amendment No. 166 one of 14.
From reading the latter parts of the Bill, it is clear that the Government intend the orders to be used for children under 14. In schedule 1, on page 91 of the Bill, and in the Government amendments in that respect, we see that attendance centre requirements can be used for an offender aged 14. We must therefore assume that there is a Government view of the suitability of that sort of attendance. I have no quarrel with that; I just want clarity. Many criminal justice Bills ago, we had many learned debates about the age of criminal responsibility. A Latin phrase, which has now completely gone out of my head, was used to describe what was until then the age of criminal responsibility. I see puzzled looks in the room—everyone has now forgotten the phrase; it has been consigned to history.