§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking in connection with the long-term funding and structure of the civil work of the probation service.
§ Mr. BrittanThe structure of arrangements for handling civil work in area probation services is a matter for the probation committees, in consultation with their chief officers and the courts in their areas. With the encouragement of the Probation Inspectorate, many are now establishing specialist civil work units. As regards funding, I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State gave to her question on 24 July, at column589. The review of the idea of a unified family court and the study of the costs and effectiveness of different types of in-court conciliation schemes which are now in progress may have implications for the future of the service's civil work.