§ 33. Mr. Sorensenasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the present shortage of probation officers in the Metropolitan Police District; what is the average number of cases per week for which individual probation officers are responsible compared with the previous five years; and whether recruitment for this service is now meeting requirements.
§ Miss PikeThere are about 30 vacancies. Figures of average case loads are not available for the Metropolitan Police District, but below is a table showing the annual average case loads of men and women probation officers in England 125W and Wales in each of the years 1958–1962. The figures for 1963 will be available in a few weeks' time and I will then send them to the hon. Member. Recruitment to the service has considerably improved but its increasing responsibilities will make continued expansion essential for some years to come.
The following is the table:
— 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 Men … 64 65 61 61 59 Women … 41 40 41 42 42