§ Mr. PendryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he is now able to report the Government's response to the Audit Commission's recommendations on value for money in the probation service.
§ Mr. John PattenI refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for St. Helens, South (Mr. Bermingham) on 17 April at column24.
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§ Mr. PendryTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to promote co-operation between the probation service and other agencies in the criminal justice system, as recommended by the Audit Commission in its recent report on the probation service.
§ Mr. John PattenWe have taken and are taking a number of steps to promote co-operation between the probation service and other agencies in the criminal justice system. The paper "Tackling Offending: An Action Plan" was sent to chief probation officers, justices' clerks, circuit administrators, chief crown prosecutors, chief officers of police, the Association of Chief Police Officers and a variety of other agencies and organisations working in the criminal justice field. That paper emphasised that although the probation service has a key role in achieving the aims of part II of the Green Paper, "Punishment, Custody and the Community", it cannot work alone and that other agencies must be involved; the Home Office has provided funds for a number of seminars on non-custodial penalties, organised by the NACRO, which have included amongst the participants magistrates, justices' clerks, members of probation services and members of police forces; a number of Home Office circulars have encouraged co-operation between the criminal justice services including the probation service; and Ministers and officials also take the opportunity in speeches and meetings to encourage such co-operation.