Ed Balls was supported by Jack Straw, home secretary, when he made the comments on the final day of the Youth Justice Board’s annual conference in Harrogate.
Delegates had heard the ministers say that there were no young people aged 10 or 11 in the secure estate and that the majority of offenders were in the older age category.
"I don’t think the age of criminal responsibility is an important issue from our point of view," Balls said. "In terms of the number of young people it affects at the moment, I don’t think it’s a big issue."
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