§ Mr. Charles Irvingasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he made of the likely 373W impact on morale in the probation service when bringing forward his proposals to cut the pay scales of trainee probation officers; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MellorI assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the pay scale of students sponsored for full-time courses of training leading to a qualification for eligibility to apply to join the probation service.
From the contacts that my right hon. Friend and I and officials of the Department, including the Probation Inspectorate, have with officers of the probation service, I believe that generally morale is good, as is to be expected given the importance of the service's key role in dealing with offenders in the community and the continuing growth in the resources allocated to it.
§ Mr. Charles Irvingasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what financial savings have already been made through the reduction by 15 per cent. of the numbers of probation officers completing their training in 1983; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MellorThe reduction to which my hon. Friend refers was in the number of students sponsored by the Home Office for courses of full-time training leading to the certificate of qualification in social work, with a view to applying to become probation officers. The number expected to complete their courses in 1983 is 282, 15.8 per cent. less that the 335 who completed their courses in 1982; the resultant expenditure will be about £800,000 less.
The number due to be sponsored at the start of the 1983–84 academic year is 288. The number of sponsored students varies in line with expected vacancies in the service.