§ Mr. Bercow:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of the formation of the local criminal justice boards on the delivery of services. [130495]
§ Paul Goggins:Local Criminal Justice Boards were launched on 1 April 2003. They are subject to ongoing assessment against targets. Only the first quarter figures for performance are currently available to assess performance.
The Local Boards have been tasked with delivery of the Criminal Justice System Public Service Agreement targets. Their key priorities are to increase the number of crimes for which an offender is brought to justice and to improve the level of public confidence in the criminal justice system. Additionally they have targets to reduce the number of ineffective trials, ensure the Persistent Young Offender pledge is met and improve timeliness. Where applicable, Local Boards have targets to reduce street crime.
Each Local Board has set out in delivery plans what their precise targets are and how they intend to achieve them. Progress against these plans is monitored and appropriate feedback and support is given. Local Boards have recently completed and received feedback on their first quarter self assessment.
43WAdditionally the National Criminal Justice Board, at its monthly meetings, monitors the overall performance of Local Boards. Members of the Board—Ministers and Senior Officials—visit Local Areas on a regular basis.