HC Deb 28 November 1988 vol 142 c74W
Mr. Alton

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the future role of electronic surveillance in the handling of offenders.

Mr. John Patten

The Government have not reached any final conclusions on the role of electronic monitoring in the handling of offenders. The Green Paper, "Punishment, Custody and the Community," (Cm. 424) suggests a possible use in helping to enforce curfews. This will be considered in the context of the other proposals in the Green Paper. Meanwhile, we are setting up a pilot project using electronic monitoring on unconvicted volunteers who have been remanded on bail. This will give us practical experience of the benefits and limitations of monitoring.