To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) remands in custody for under 18 year olds and (b) court-ordered secure remands were for a period of seven days or less in the last year for which figures are available.

During the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009, 671 young people under 18 were remanded in custody for a period of seven days or less; and 173 were remanded for a period of seven days or less to the care of a local authority with a requirement that they be accommodated in secure conditions. This information has been supplied by the Youth Justice Board and is drawn from administrative computer systems.

We believe that young people should only be sent to custody as a last resort. The decision on whether to grant bail or remand a defendant in custody is one for the courts to make, in each case, in line with the statutory framework primarily set out in the Bail Act 1976.