Probation (Hansard, 20 January 1994)

§ Mr. Bermingham
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the weekly cost of(a) a probation order, (b) community service order, (c) bail hostel place and (d) average prison place for the latest date available.

§ Mr. Maclean
The weekly costs for 1991–92, the latest year for which comparable figures are available are(a) a probation order, £23; (b) community service order, £22; (c) bail hostel place, £179; (d) average prison place, £442.

§ 1993. Mr. Bermingham
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many probation reports, probation orders and community service orders were made or written in(a) 1992 and (b)

§ Mr. Maclean
The information published in "Probation Statistics England and Wales 1992" shows that 41,000 probation orders and 43,000 community service orders commenced in 1992 and 197,000 pre-sentence reports were written by the probation service. A copy of the publication is held in the House of Commons Library.
Information for the whole of 1993 is not yet available but the following estimates have been produced for the first three quarters of 1993.

Comparison of first three-quarters of 1992 and 1993

England and Wales Number of persons/reports

1992 ¹1993

Commencements of:

Probation orders 33,200 29,600

Community service orders 32,600 35,400

Pre-sentence reports written² 149,200 137,400

¹ Estimated.

² Social inquiry reports prior to 1 October 1992.

§ Mr. Bermingham
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional resources will be made available to the probation service to deal with the projected work load in 1994 and 1995.

§ Mr. Maclean
The Government's spending plans for the probation service together with work load forecasts are set out in the three-year planning document for the service covering the period 1994–97, a copy of which is in the Library.

§ Mr. Bermingham
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many probation reports, probation 747W orders and community service orders are projected for 1996; and how many reports and orders were completed in 1990.

§ Mr. Maclean
The projected caseloads in 1996–97 have been published in the "Three year plan for the probation service 1994–97". A copy has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Table. Caseloads and numbers of reports written

England and Wales

Number of persons/reports

1990–91 ¹1996–97

Caseload at end of period for:

Probation orders 54,200 46,600

Community service orders 25,90 29,900

Pre-sentence reports written² 197,800 229,400

¹ Projected

² Social inquiry reports before 1 October 1992

Comparison of first three-quarters of 1992 and 1993
England and Wales	Number of persons/reports
	1992	¹1993
Commencements of:
Probation orders	33,200	29,600
Community service orders	32,600	35,400
Pre-sentence reports written²	149,200	137,400
¹ Estimated.
² Social inquiry reports prior to 1 October 1992.

Table. Caseloads and numbers of reports written
England and Wales
		Number of persons/reports
	1990–91	¹1996–97
Caseload at end of period for:
Probation orders	54,200	46,600
Community service orders	25,90	29,900
Pre-sentence reports written²	197,800	229,400
¹ Projected
² Social inquiry reports before 1 October 1992