Probation Service (Hansard, 20 January 1997)

§ Mr. Rowlands
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of expenditure in the current financial year on the probation service in(a) England and Wales and (b) Wales; and if he will express this expenditure as a percentage of expenditure on police and prisons. [11017]
433W

§ Mr. Sackville
The information requested is set out in the table:

England and Wales Wales

Current estimate of expenditure on probation service 1996–97 £350.2 million £18.1 million As percentage of estimated

As percentage of estimated expenditure on police 9.9 per cent. 10.4 per cent.

As percentage of estimated expenditure on prisons 21.3 per cent. ¹—

¹ Separate figures for expenditure on the Prison Service in Wales are not kept.

§ Mr. Rowlands
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the expenditure of the probation service in each of the counties of Wales since 1992, indicating the annual percentage increases or decreases on the previous year's expenditure. [11019]

§ Mr. Sackville
Net specified expenditure by probation areas in Wales between 1992–93 and 1995–96, and year-on-year percentage changes are given in the table. The probation areas correspond with the pre-April 1996 counties, with the exception of north Wales, which comprises the former counties of Clwyd and Gwynedd.

1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96

Dyfed

Expenditure (£) 1,700,530 1,845,785 2,020,753 2,144,641

Percentage change on previous year — +8.5 +9.5 +6.1

Gwent

Expenditure (£) 2,277,894 2,456,291 2,614,526 2,698,153

Percentage change on previous year — +7.8 +6.4 +3.2

North Wales

Expenditure (£) 2,991,103 3,166,670 3,439,321 3,612,692

Percentage change on previous year — +5.9 +8.6 +5.0

Powys

Expenditure (£) 630,889 701,511 782,941 867,437

Percentage change on previous year — +11.2 +11.6 +10.8

South Glamorgan

Expenditure (£) 3,307,601 3,506,904 3,791,970 4,023,999

Percentage change on previous year — +6.0 +8.1 +6.1

Mid Glamorgan

Expenditure (£) 3,474,121 3,725.125 3,934,732 4,064,822

Percentage change on previous year — +7.2 +5.6 +3.3

West Glamorgan

Expenditure (£) 2,819,039 3,034,418 3,223,813 3,307,664

Percentage change on previous year — +7.6 +6.2 +2.6

§ Mr. Rowlands
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what national standards or criteria are currently in force in determining the average case load434W of probation officers (a) dealing with community service orders, (b) dealing with offenders in custody and (c) dealing with supervision orders. [11021]

§ Mr. Sackville
Decisions on allocation of case load to make best use of available staff resources are matters for individual probation committees, having regard to local circumstances; and no national standards or criteria have been issued.

§ Mr. Rowlands
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the percentage change in expenditure upon the probation service in England and Wales since 1992; and what are the equivalent figures for the police and prison services. [11018]

§ Mr. Sackville
Central Government support for the probation service in England and Wales, current and capital, between 1992–93 and 1995–96 increased by 9.6 per cent. The equivalent figures for the police and the Prison Service are 19.1 per cent. and 3.5 per cent. respectively.

§ Mr. Rowlands
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of probation officers currently dealing directly with cases in each of the counties of Wales; and what assessment he has made of the change in the number of officers following the proposed budgets for 1997–98. [11020]

§ Mr. Sackville
The latest available published figures for the numbers of probation officers and senior probation officers¹ employed by probation committees in Wales at 30 June 1996 are given in the table.
It is for individual probation committees to determine their spending priorities, including staff numbers, in the light of the expenditure limits implied by the level of their grant support in 1997–98.

Number

Dyfed 29

Gwent 65

North Wales 64

Powys 10

South Glamorgan 71

Mid Glamorgan 67

West Glamorgan 51

¹ Whole-time equivalents.

	England and Wales	Wales
Current estimate of expenditure on probation service 1996–97	£350.2 million	£18.1 million As percentage of estimated
As percentage of estimated expenditure on police	9.9 per cent.	10.4 per cent.
As percentage of estimated expenditure on prisons	21.3 per cent.	¹—
¹ Separate figures for expenditure on the Prison Service in Wales are not kept.

	1992–93	1993–94	1994–95	1995–96
Dyfed
Expenditure (£)	1,700,530	1,845,785	2,020,753	2,144,641
Percentage change on previous year	—	+8.5	+9.5	+6.1
Gwent
Expenditure (£)	2,277,894	2,456,291	2,614,526	2,698,153
Percentage change on previous year	—	+7.8	+6.4	+3.2
North Wales
Expenditure (£)	2,991,103	3,166,670	3,439,321	3,612,692
Percentage change on previous year	—	+5.9	+8.6	+5.0
Powys
Expenditure (£)	630,889	701,511	782,941	867,437
Percentage change on previous year	—	+11.2	+11.6	+10.8
South Glamorgan
Expenditure (£)	3,307,601	3,506,904	3,791,970	4,023,999
Percentage change on previous year	—	+6.0	+8.1	+6.1
Mid Glamorgan
Expenditure (£)	3,474,121	3,725.125	3,934,732	4,064,822
Percentage change on previous year	—	+7.2	+5.6	+3.3
West Glamorgan
Expenditure (£)	2,819,039	3,034,418	3,223,813	3,307,664
Percentage change on previous year	—	+7.6	+6.2	+2.6

	Number
Dyfed	29
Gwent	65
North Wales	64
Powys	10
South Glamorgan	71
Mid Glamorgan	67
West Glamorgan	51
¹ Whole-time equivalents.