§ 81. Mr. Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will re-examine the working of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act; and if he will make a statement.
§ 85. Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the working of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act.
§ Mr. John PattenThe working of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 is kept under review. Much of the pressure for change is to extend the categories which are excepted from the provisions of the Act. We consider that the Act does, on the whole, strike a reasonable balance between the need to protect the interests of the public and the interests of former offenders.
The effectiveness of the Act depends on its provisions being made known to ex-offenders. With that aim we issue free of charge large numbers of the leaflet "Wiping the Slate Clean", which is available for example, to all citizens advice bureaux.