§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information is available (a) about the reconviction rates of those who have attended attendance centres and (b) about the relative performance of individual junior attendance centres.
§ Mr. BrittanI refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Cheltenham (Mr. Irving) on 28 November 1979—[Vol. 974, c. 665]—and to the report on junior attendance centres being published today—Home Office research study No. 60.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Wolverhampton, North-East on 20 661W May, what recommendations or criticisms he has received from the social work service inspectors on the operation of junior attendance centres during the last period for which information can conveniently be obtained; and what action he has taken as a result;
(2) in the last period for which information can conveniently be obtained concerning the inspection of junior attendance centres by officers of the social work service (a) in how many cases recommendations were made for improvements and (b) in how many cases serious criticisms were made.
§ Mr. BrittanIt will take time to extract the information requested from the individual attendance centre papers. We will publish it in theOfficial Report as soon as possible.
§ Mrs. Renée Shortasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many junior attendance centres were inspected last year by officers of the social work service; and by what principal criteria the officers assess the operation of such centres.
§ Mr. Brittan65 junior attendance centres were so inspected during 1979. There are no set criteria for assessing the operation of attendance centres. The inspecting officers provide factual information to the Home Office on a range of matters, including staffing, premises, equipment, organisation and functioning of the centres, records kept and whether the statutory rules are being complied with. The officers may also comment on the standard and tone of the centres and make recommendations for improvements.