§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the need for places in probation and bail hostels.
§ Mr. MacleanBefore concluding that 10 per cent. of approved hostel capacity should be reduced, I took account of a number of factors, including the need for places as reflected in levels of occupancy and the cost of maintaining those places to an acceptable standard.
§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what level of occupancy is assumed in the development of funding allocations to probation and bail hostels.
§ Mr. MacleanThe revenue grant funding formula for approved hostels assumes a normal minimum occupancy level of 80 per cent., which may be temporarily reduced in individual cases of newly opened hostels or hostels being refurbished.
§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whom he has consulted about his proposals to close 11 probation and bail hostels.
§ Mr. MacleanThe chief probation officers and managing committees whose hostels were affected were notified on 1 December of our closure proposals and given the opportunity to comment.
§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average length of stay in probation and bail hostels.
§ Mr. MacleanThe information is not readily available in the form requested.
§ Dr. Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide occupancy figures for 705W each probation and bail hostel in each region of the country for each of the last four quarters for which figures are available.
§ Mr. MacleanThis information is not readily available in the form requested. The occupancy figures for each probation and bail hostel for September 1993, the most recent month available, and for April 1992 to March 1993 as a whole, are as follows:
706W
Average occupancy in approved hostels Area and hostel 1992–93 (per cent.) September 1993 (per cent.) Avon Ashley House 71 75 Brigstocke Road 64 80 Bridge House 68 84 Bedfordshire Bedford Bail 43 41 Napier Road 68 60 Berkshire Manor Lodge 43 53 Elizabeth Fry 53 47 St. Leonards 48 46 Wellesley House 52 58 Buckinghamshire Milton Keynes 74 84 Cambridgeshire Peterborough 70 78 Cheshire Bewsey Street 66 91 Bunbury House 60 64 Linden Bank 79 70 Cleveland The Crescent 59 38 South Bank 72 59 Cornwall Meneghy House 62 58 Cumbria Bowling Green 59 69 Derbyshire Burden Lodge 51 79 Devon Lawson House — 59 Dudley Centre 43 52 Dorset Bournemouth 68 47 Weston 61 86 Durham Fir Tree Grange 40 50 East Sussex Brighton 50 75 Essex Windyridge 60 38 Basildon 65 55 Gloucestershire Ryecroft 39 76 Greater Manchester Hopwood House 72 70 Wilton Place 70 85 Chorlton 65 67 Withington Road 68 69 707W
Area and hostel 1992–93 (per cent.) September 1993 (per cent.) Ascot House 59 80 Parkfield 42 — Bradshaw House 52 64 St. Josephs 68 74 Hampshire Southampton Bail 52 77 Carlisle House 60 — Dickson House 48 68 The Grange 55 64 Hereford and Worcestershire Braley House 68 88 Hertfordshire St. Albans 45 67 Humberside Queens Road 55 54 Inner London St. Edmunds 42 64 KPH 84 95 Ellison House 53 70 Tulse Hill 59 51 St. Vincents 46 48 St. Mungos 62 84 Bedford/Shenley 64 66 Kelley House 48 68 Canadian Avenue 82 89 West Park 57 78 Camden House 35 71 Kent Hollywood Manor 57 — Fleming House 67 78 Dover Bail 57 45 Lancashire Highfield House 75 65 Blackburn 74 41 Hoole House 68 76 Leicestershire Charnwood Lodge 59 85 Kirk Lodge 47 75 Howard House 73 78 Lincolnshire Wordsworth House 70 70 Merseyside Southwood 75 82 Merseybank 42 74 Canning House 64 58 Adelaide House 54 54 Middlesex Corfton Road 44 83 Seafield Lodge 67 88 North East London Westbourne 73 74 Norfolk John Boag 74 70 Northamptonshire Bridgewood 72 83 Stone House 69 36 Northumbria Ozanam House 66 82 St. Christophers 48 90 Pennywell 74 76 Cuthbert House 73 87 708W
Area and hostel 1992–95 (per cent.) September 1993 (per cent.) North Wales Plas-y-wern 96 94 Ty Newydd 94 87 Nottinghamshire Astral Grove 64 79 Southwell 57 81 Trent House 50 70 Oxfordshire Abingdon Road 74 43 Clark's House 72 73 Somerset Glogan House 69 54 South East London Beckenham Road 54 85 South Glamorgan Mandeville House 31 63 South West London Kew 52 87 South Yorkshire Rookwood 61 56 Norfolk Park 67 52 Centre 45 86 81 Town Moor 72 53 Staffordshire Wenger House 65 82 Stafford Bail 65 81 Suffolk Lightfoot House 61 55 The Cottage 75 85 Surrey St. Catherines 58 60 Warwickshire McIntyre House 80 90 Kenilworth Road 49 71 West Glamorgan Emroch House 81 90 West Midlands Sycamore Lodge 77 75 Crowley House 46 61 Bilston 94 98 Stoke Green 79 68 Stonnall Road 1— 96 Welford House 69 64 Marshall House 86 91 Carpenter House 81 81 West Yorkshire Howden House 79 78 Walmer Villas 78 86 Albion Street 33 85 Ripon House 76 91 Elm Bank 90 80 St. Johns 78 94 Cardigan House 69 91 1 Denotes hostel which is either closed or has yet to be opened.