§ Baroness WOOTTON of ABINGERasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many Community Service Orders have been imposed on offenders by the courts in England, Wales and Scotland since the inception of the Community Service Scheme.
§ The PARLIAMENTARY UNDERSECRETARY of STATE, HOME OFFICE (Lord Belstead)Returns made by the probation service from 1st April 1975, when community service arrangements were formally introduced in England and Wales, to 31st March 1978 (the latest date for which figures are available) show that 26,385 persons were given community service orders in England and 1,525 in Wales. The main provisions of the Community Service by Offenders (Scotland) Act 1978 came into effect on 1st February 1979. Before then experimental community service schemes had been in operation in five areas in Scotland for periods ranging from 12 to 18 months, and courts in these areas made 312 probation orders with requirements to undertake community work.