§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many multi-agency panels are now operating, including magistrates and probation officers.
§ Mr. John PattenA number of probation areas indicated their intention to establish such panels in response to the 1988 paper "Tackling Offending: an Action Plan". In some cases these panels have built on existing arrangements for discussions between the chief officers of the various agencies in each area. We do not yet know how many panels are operating nationally.
§ Mr. SheermanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many multi-agency panels, including members of magistrates' benches and probation officers, are now operating in the Merseyside area; and in which areas these are.
§ Mr. John PattenI understand that three multi-agency panels following the recommendations of the 1988 paper "Tackling Offending: an Action Plan", are operating in the Merseyside area, in the petty sessional divisions of St. Helens, Knowsley and Sefton. They include representatives from the probation, social and education services, the police and the voluntary sector, but no magistrates.