Secure Training Centre (Amendment) Rules 2007

My Lords, I support the noble Lord, Lord Carlile. I had the privilege of being a member of his review. I remember with interest that some of the recommendations that we made about restraint were subsequently rejected by the Government, and here we are again. Therefore, I have to declare that I very much share the sentiment of the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of Worcester in wishing that we were here to discuss the annulment of this statute, when in fact as I understood it we are discussing it rather in the context of the offering of a review. All I add, because many noble Lords have put all the things that I would like to have said, are the words that I have seen today for the first time of his honour Judge Pollard, sitting as assistant deputy coroner for the county of Northampton. He was responsible for the inquest into Gareth Myatt. He has used his power under the Coroners Rules 1984 to report to those who have the power to take action to prevent a recurrence of similar fatalities. He has written a 17-page letter to the Secretary of State, particularly stressing the absolute need, as the noble Lord, Lord Carlile, said, to "““listen to the voice of the child””." I would like to quote from two paragraphs. The first states: "““I understand that there is now to be a ‘joint review’ on restraint, involving Young Offender Institutions, STCs and Local Authority secure units, namely LASUs and LASCHs””," which are local authority secure units and local authority secure children’s homes. Judge Pollard continues: "““I trust that no-one will lose sight of the particular and very immediate problems of PCC and the STCs””—" physical control in care and secure training centres. He goes on: "““Earlier quests for a uniform solution as between STCs, YOIs and Local Authority units resulted in very serious issues being completely overlooked by the””," Youth Justice Board, "““the need for a review of PCC being the prime example””." Judge Pollard then says that, at the inquest: "““The Jury concluded that one of the factors that caused or contributed to Gareth’s death was the failure by the YJB and the Home Office (as it then was) to undertake a review of the medical safety of PCC. It would be a wholly unforgivable and a double tragedy, would it not, if the holding of this ‘joint review’ was to obscure the clear and urgent issues raised by Gareth Myatt’s death, or was to lead to any delay in learning from and acting on the lessons that result from his death””." That is why I am concerned that we have yet another review. As the Minister will find, an absolute torrent of evidence is available now to justify a firm decision that, as the coroner said, the methods that have been used are being overused for all the wrong reasons. That is something it is our duty to prevent.