§ Lord Brougham and Vauxasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they have taken following representations from the Magistrates' Association about the trials of electronic monitoring currently in progress in Manchester, Reading and Norfolk.
§ Baroness BlatchWe have agreed to extend the area covered by the trials from the City of Manchester to the whole of Greater Manchester, and from Reading to the whole of Berkshire, and a Statutory Instrument had been made to give effect to this from Monday 6 November. As a separate issue, we are considering whether to extend the number of courts involved in the trial.
We have also agreed to fund a Magistrates' Association seminar on sentencing in relation to electronic monitoring and this will be held on 8–9 November.