§ Lord Bonham-Carterasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the chairman or members of the Parole Board, or any outside interest groups were consulted before their decision to change the composition of the Parole Board replacing part-time members with full-time appointees; and on how many occasions the Secretary of State for the Home Department has met with the Chairman of the Parole Board to discuss the changes in the past six months.
The Minister of State Home Office (Earl Ferrers)Discussions about the possible appointment of full-time 7WA members, who would be in addition to those already serving on a part-time basis, first took place with the chairman of the Parole Board in November 1992. Further consultation took place with the chairman before the possibility of such appointments was announced at the Annual General Meeting of the board on 9 March. Discussions on the subject also took place with the board after that date.
No outside interest groups were consulted on the matter. Three meetings on the subject have taken place between the Minister of State at the Home Office and the chairman of the Parole Board in the last six months. There were no meetings with the Home Secretary during this period.