asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if any 14-year-old girls have been received into custody since 15th March 1977 when the order under section 34(7) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1969 came into force.

No unsentenced girl has been received whose age on the warrant of committal was less than 15 years. In four cases it came to light during reception procedures that an unsentenced girl had misrepresented her age to the court. These girls were forthwith released or taken back to the court except one whose fifteenth birthday predated her next remand appearance. A fifth girl was received on sentence under section 53(2) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933.