§ Mrs. GillanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the costs, and what extra resources will be provided, to the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman's office when he takes on responsibility for investigating deaths of prisoners, residents of probation hostels and detainees in immigration removal centres from April. [150725]
§ Paul Goggins[holding answer 26 January 2004]: Provisional estimates of the costs are in the region of £1.5 million a year. The Ombudsman's office is working on the detail of the new arrangements in consultation with my officials. The necessary extra resources will be provided as part of the Ombudsman's funding for the next financial year. In the meantime, we have provided an additional £100,000 for start-up costs in the current year.