§ Mr. Simsasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in view of the general availability of community service orders, he will now implement Section 49 of the Criminal Justice Act 1972.
§ Mr. JohnA number of probation areas are not yet fully covered by community service arrangements but resources have been made available to enable the scheme, to be extended to the whole country during the next 12 months. The implementation of Section 49 of the Criminal Justice Act 1972 to enable community service orders to be made in respect of fine defaulters is not feasible until there are sufficient additional resources to cope with the extra work which this would entail. There are also other practical considerations involved on which we are about to consult those concerned.