§ Mr. John EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received on the electronic tagging of offenders; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John PattenIn the last 12 months 26 letters have been received, including nine from Members of Parliament, together with a number of representations from interested individuals and organisations. One of the objectives of the forthcoming field trials involving the monitoring of defendants remanded on bail will be to enable decisions to be reached on the use of electronic monitoring in respect of convicted offenders.
§ Mr. SkinnerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he has had with interested parties regarding the introduction of electronic tagging; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. John PattenWe have consulted the magistrates courts, the police and the Crown Prosecution Service in the three areas where we propose to conduct field trials of electronic monitoring. We shall shortly be arranging meetings at which the procedures envisaged can be explained to local legal practitioners and others with an interest. A meeting has also been arranged with representatives of the probation services in the areas concerned.