asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in view of the attention drawn by the Cardiff Stipendiary Magistrate to the absence of vacancies in remand homes, which compelled him to remand a 16 year old Cardiff boy to prison, what measures he is taking to remedy such lack of vacancies.

I understand that the boy in question was detained in police cells at the Cardiff Law Courts for one night; he was admitted to the Cardiff Remand Home the following day. Building, work to extend this remand home is well advanced and I am co-operating with local authorities elsewhere in proposals designed to provide extra accommodation as soon as possible.