Electoral Administration Bill

I apologise most sincerely for not being present when the noble Lord moved the amendment, but I just finished the Second Reading of the Childcare Bill. I believe that we have now reached the question of lowering the voting age to 16. I do not intend to speak to my amendment, but I appreciate what the noble Lord is seeking to do in engaging more young people in the political process, given the concern that many of them will not get an opportunity to vote until the age of 21. My concern is particularly around the issue of criminal responsibility in this country, which at the age of 10 is the lowest in Europe except for Scotland. In Scotland, they have a very different way of treating children in law, which is much more sympathetic. Since 1997 we have lost a provision called doli incapax, which gave some protection to children. The danger in lowering the voting age is that it would encourage those, particularly those in the media, who are keen to demonise children. There is a problem of either placing children on a pedestal and highlighting their innocence and vulnerability, or placing them in a pit and attacking them, not recognising that often vulnerable children cause trouble and so on. For instance, in a recent meeting discussing vulnerable young asylum seekers, a Member of your Lordships’ House suggested lowering the age at which we call asylum seeking children ““minors”” to 16, because that would make people feel more sympathetic to their situation. There will be many who do not understand so well the questions of child development and will push for more vulnerable children to be treated harshly. That is my concern, and I am grateful for the opportunity to raise it. I respect what the noble Lord is driving at in the amendment, and I apologise for not highlighting my concerns to him beforehand. I also recognise the involvement of many young people in the campaign to lower the voting age. This is a very useful debate.