HC Deb 04 August 1971 vol 822 cc1590-1
Mr. Raphael Tuck

I beg to ask leave to move the Adjournment of the House, under Standing Order No. 9, for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that should have urgent consideration, namely, the deteriorating situation in the probation service and the urgent need for an immediate and adequate pay settlement. The rising crime rate and the increasing overcrowding in penal institutions has given, and is giving, cause for national concern, and the Government have recognised this in stating their plans to reorganise the penal system. Those plans are based on the expansion of the probation service from its present strength of 3,400 to 4,700 by 1975. Yet net gains in personnel have been declining over the past three years and it is doubtful whether the service can even meet its present commitments.

It is becoming increasingly difficult, due to the inadequate salaries and excessive work loads of probation officers, for the service to attract professionally-trained recruits, especially when it faces direct competition for trained personnel from the new local authority social work departments which are able to offer qualified personnel up to £400 more per annum than they could be offered by the probation service.

The matter is of extreme urgency, for unless an adequate pay settlement is offered in the near future—and I stress "in the near future"—an increasing number of probation officers may well leave the service, particularly the younger, university-trained officers, and this will severely dilute the standards of service and also make it impossible to implement the proposed advances in the treatment and rehabilitation of offenders.

Mr. Speaker

The hon. Member for Watford (Mr. Raphael Tuck) asks for leave to move the Adjournment of the House for the purpose of discussing a specific and important matter that he thinks should have urgent consideration, namely, the deteriorating situation in the probation service and the urgent need for an immediate and adequate pay settlement. I have considered this matter, of which the hon. Gentleman was kind enough to give me notice. I have also heard what he had to say. I think that the House will agree that he has made his point. However, under Standing Order No. 9, it is for the Chair to decide whether to submit his application to the House. I am afraid that I cannot submit it to the House.