§ Lord Harris of Greenwichasked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the cost of electronic monitoring trials in the three court areas between July 1995 and mid-July 1996 and how much of this was non-recurring initial expenditure; and
What was the cost of electronic monitoring trials in the three court areas between July 1995 and the present; and
What is the estimated cost of electronic monitoring trials in the three court areas between July 1995 and March 1997.
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Blatch):The cost of the first 12 months of the trials was £1.8 million. The estimated costs to date are £2.4 million and to the end of March 1997 are £3 million. It will be possible to produce a firm assessment of which costs were non-recurring when the full evaluation of the first 12 months of the trials has been completed.