TORY ministers must demand better data on the use of restraints on young people in care to end the “brutal handcuffing of vulnerable children,” MPs and peers have urged.

In a letter to Children’s Minister Claire Coutinho, the cross-party group slammed the “worrying prevalence” of vulnerable children being restrained and handcuffed unnecessarily by so-called “secure transportation providers.”

They blasted instances of innocent children outside the custodial system being restrained in such a way when they are being moved around by the authorities.

Organisers from the 2020-founded Hope Instead Of Handcuffs campaign said the number of such incidents is not known due to a lack of data.

The letter, signed by parliamentarians including ex-shadow chancellor John McDonnell and Green Party peer Baroness Bennett, asked Ms Coutinho meet them and members of the campaign group to address the issue.

The minister must “urgently conduct a review of the data gaps in secure transportation, which preclude proper monitoring and scrutiny of providers’ restraint practices,” it stressed.

“Shockingly, many secure transportation providers use restraints such as handcuffs on vulnerable children in care. 

“Providers should be required to record and report any instances of restraint to an appropriate body, which would be appointed by the government to monitor and scrutinise this data, bringing secure transportation in line with other areas of the care system, improve transparency and initiate a cultural change within the sector.”

A Department for Education spokesman claimed that restraint “should only be used in exceptional cases where it is necessary and proportionate.

“We are continuing our work with Hope Instead Of Handcuffs to explore what further action is needed.”