§ Mr. Charles Morrisonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he is yet in a position to make a further statement about the future manpower needs of the Probation and Aftercare Service in England and Wales.
§ Mr. R. CarrI have reviewed, in consultation with my Advisory Council for Probation and After-Care, the staffing needs of the probation and after-care service for the period to the end of 1976. The revised estimate, which takes account422W of new tasks placed on the service by the Criminal Justice Act, 1972, is that up to 5,000 whole-time officers might be needed by the end of 1975 (compared with the previous estimate of 4,700) and up to 5,350 by the end of 1976. The Government accepts this estimate, and the training implications of the new targets are being discussed with the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work. The service's present strength is just on 4,000.