Children Act 1972

1Minimum age of employment.

(1)Notwithstanding any change in the age governing the time when children may leave school, the minimum age at which, under section 18(1) of the [1933 c. 12.] Children and Young Persons Act 1933 or section 28(1) of the [1937 c. 37.] Children and Young Persons (Scotland) Act 1937, it is lawful for a child to be employed shall remain the age of 13 years.

(2)Accordingly in each of those sections for subsection (1)(a) there shall be substituted the paragraph—

(a)so long as he is under the age of thirteen years;

and in subsection (2) (which allows the general rules in subsection (1) to be modified by local authority bye-laws) for paragraph (a)(i) there shall be substituted the sub-paragraph—

(i)the employment of children under the age of thirteen years (notwithstanding anything in paragraph (a) of the last foregoing subsection) by their parents or guardians in light agricultural or horticultural work.

2Short title, repeal and extent.

(1)This Act may be cited as the Children Act 1972.

(2)The enactments mentioned in the Schedule to this Act are hereby repealed to the extent specified in column 3 of the Schedule.

(3)Nothing in this Act extends to Northern Ireland.