§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines are issued to probation officers to ensure that the needs of deaf people or those who are hard of hearing are taken into account when reports are being prepared for the courts prior to sentencing.
§ Mr. John PattenCurrent guidance to the probation service on social inquiry reports (SIRs) is contained in Home Office circular 92 of 1986, a copy of which is in the Library. This circular emphasises the need for the SIR to contain an impartial and objective assessment tailored to the circumstances of the individual offender. The offender's deafness or other hearing impairment would be referred to in the SIR if the officer considered that it was relevant to the court's decision on how to deal with that offender. If the hon. Member has a particular case in mind perhaps he would write to me.