HC Deb 01 November 1994 vol 248 cc1067-8W
Mr. Whittingdale

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has plans to extend to other categories of offenders the powers contained in section 44 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 to require sex offenders to be supervised for the whole of the remainder of their sentence; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Maclean

We have no plans at present to extend the powers contained in section 44 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 to cover other offences.

Mr. Whittingdale

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of whether judges are sufficiently aware of the powers contained in section 44 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 to require offenders to be supervised for the whole of the remainder of their sentence following automatic conditional release.

Mr. Maclean

A circular was sent to all judges on 5 March 1992 describing the provisions contained in the Criminal Justice Act 1991 which were to be implemented in 1992, including section 44. The statistics suggest an increased use of the power in the years since its introduction.

Mr. Whittingdale

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions section 44 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 has been used by judges to require contrived supervision of an offender for the remainder of his or her sentence.

Mr. Maclean

The number of cases in which a court has ordered that an offender should be supervised for the whole of his sentence under section 44 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 are as follows:

  • 1992 — 1
  • 1993 — 11
  • 1994 (January-June) —34

It is likely that the recorded figures for 1992 and 1993 are understated because of initial difficulties in probation areas in the recording of such cases.