§ 82. Mr. C. WILSONasked the Home Secretary as to the number of Courts of Summary Jurisdiction in England and Wales, if he can state in how many of them probation officers have been appointed; whether such officers are male or female, full-time or part-time; and whether their remuneration is provided out of Court funds, public funds, or voluntary contribution, and what is the proportion of each?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANThere are 1,042 petty sessional divisions in England and Wales. Of these, 840 have appointed probation officers, but in many cases the same officer acts for several Courts. The total number of probation officers is 851, of whom 538 are men and 313 women. Many of these officers do not devote their whole time to probation work in the strict sense, but undertake duties of a similar character connected with the Courts or other social work. Probation officers are paid out of local rates, but many of them belong to societies, and their remuneration is supplemented out of voluntary contributions. Information on this subject will be found in the Report of the Departmental Committee on the Training, Appointment and Payment of Probation Officers, which was published last year.