§ Dr. PalmerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to improve the family court welfare work of the Probation Service and other related services. [30171]
§ Mr. StrawAs part of the comprehensive spending review, my right hon. and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and I are considering the range of services currently provided to the courts on child welfare matters within family law by the Probation Service. Guardian ad Litem and Reporting Officer Service and the Official Solicitor's Department. We believe that a new integrated service subsuming the work of each of the above could provide an improved service to the courts, better safeguard the interests of children, reduce wasteful overlaps and so increase efficiency.
I have therefore agreed with my right hon. Friends that further detailed work involving practitioners and other users of the services should be undertaken to form the basis for public consultation.
The detailed terms of reference for the work are as follows:
To identify the range of welfare services currently provided by the Probation Service, Guardian ad Litem and Reporting Officer Service and the children's work of the Official Solicitor's Department and other agencies in family proceedings, and to consider the scope for improvements to the effectiveness of their work through the creation of a new unified service.To make proposals on the structure of a new service; to provide preliminary analysis of the estimated costs and benefits as a basis for public consultation; and to consider the implications for any new structure of the Government's plans to establish a Welsh Assembly.