§ Lord Woolmer of Leedsasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether Prison Service areas are to be reorganised so as to improve alignment of criminal justice boundaries. [HL1580]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonThe response to a consultation document issued in December 1999 was overwhelmingly supportive of Prison Service proposals to continue its predominantly geographic structure but to realign its boundaries so that they match those of police areas and planned probation areas, the English regions and Wales. From April 2000, 12 area managers will manage establishments grouped by police areas within the boundaries of the nine English regions. Three regions—the South East, the North West and the East Midland—will have two area managers each. There will be a further, thirteenth manager for Wales. Two functional managers will continue to manage the higher security estate and the women's estate.
These arrangements will improve alignment of criminal justice boundaries around the nine Government Offices for the Regions and Wales and provide the Prison Service with a platform for further joint working regionally and locally with other agencies. The move to a criminal justice focus on the 42 police areas is accelerating. The Crown Prosecution Service is organised on that basis already. Crown Courts Circuits are being reorganised on the basis of groups of police areas, and 42 criminal justice strategy committees and trial issues groups are being established this year. Forty-two magistrates' courts' committees and probation areas are planned from April 2001.