Children and Young Persons Bill [HL]

I particularly support Amendment No. 69 and echo what my noble friend Lord Rix has just said. One measure of how a custodial institution is working is the level of complaints. Frequently one would find that there were virtually no complaints in young offender institutions. People would say that the young people did not want to complain: absolute nonsense! When I found an establishment that was employing advocates, I saw that the complaints suddenly went up, along with a general understanding of what was happening. People were enabled to complain. The Committee must consider not just those with learning difficulties, but those who cannot communicate anyway. It is desperately important that advocacy is provided. Resources will be cited again, but this is a resource that must not be cut.