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Offender Management Bill

My Lords, I arise briefly simply to say that it is right that the matter is raised in the Bill’s context. I know that it is a matter that we have discussed on several occasions on Criminal Justice Bills in the past. That does not mean that it should not be raised again because it reflects the proper concern that noble Lords have with regard to the welfare of children. The noble Lord, Lord Bassam of Brighton, will be all too aware that yesterday in the context of the UK Borders Bill I raised an amendment that would impose within the immigration system the duty to promote the welfare of children as under Section 11 of the Children Act 2004. I welcome the way in which the noble Lord, Lord Wallace of Saltaire, has moved the amendment, because it is right that we should continue to press the Government to try to work out the ways in which the needs of children and promoting the safety of children within the criminal justice system can be balanced against what we all want, which is maintaining the safety of the public. That is a theme of the later amendments to which the noble Lord, Lord Wallace, referred. This matter cannot be resolved at present, but we must continue to press it until we are able to find a solution. I approach the matter from the point of view that children are children first and that at some stage they must come out of the criminal justice system and be responsible adults. If they come out in such a damaged way that they have no opportunity to act as a responsible adult, that is to the disadvantage of the whole of society. That is a glib thing to say, but it lies at the heart of what we are trying to achieve. Having made that point, I will not take part in the debates on the later amendments because that reflects my concern. I am going to try to pursue the matter, particularly through the UK Borders Bill, because there is a discrete matter there to which I hope we may be able to find a resolution. Within the context of this Bill, we will not find the answer.