§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what specific resources have been allocated to the probation service in relation to the Effective Practice Initiative; and if he will make a statement. [99804]
§ Mr. BoatengThe Effective Practice Initiative was launched in June 1998 with the publication of Her Majesty's Inspectorate of "Probation of Strategies for Effective Offender Supervision". The initiative is now being taken forward as the What Works strategy, for which £21 million has been provided from 1999–2002 part of the Crime Reduction Programme, to develop and deliver high-quality work with offenders in the prison and probation services, based on what is known to reduce re-offending.
Table A: Number of offenders proceeded against in court for breaching a combination order by sex and age group, England and Wales, 1996–1998 Males Females Year 16–17 18–20 21 and over All ages 16–17 18–20 21 and over All ages 1996 304 1,566 3,416 5,286 11 76 326 413 1997 391 1,962 4,543 6,896 21 85 404 510 1998 237 1,310 3,014 4,561 27 93 340 460 Note:
Breach data does not include information on the original sentencing court (i.e.magistrates' or Crown Court)
244WOf this funding, just £13 million is available to support probation service development and implementation, with a further 10 per cent. for independent evaluation.