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Education and Skills Bill

Such rights of appeal are set out in the clauses we are debating. If the enforcement action went to a youth court, there is no question of a young person not having the rights to contest any action at every stage. The noble Baroness, Lady Morris, began by asking a specific question on what would happen when a young person reached 18 and whether any action would stop at that age, thereby giving someone an incentive to spin the whole thing out. If a prosecution has started in the youth court, it stays in the youth court, even if a young person turns 18. The court used depends on the age of the person at the time proceedings commence. If a young person is about to turn 18, prosecution would not be appropriate. The only point of enforcement is deterrent action to get the young person to re-engage. An action would not automatically be terminated in a youth court simply because a person had reached 18.