§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the cost of commissioning additional drug treatment and testing programmes as provisionally estimated in the Crime and Disorder Bill [Lords] to fall upon the Probation Service. [23126]
§ Mr. George HowarthDuring the pilot stage of the new order, the relevant probation service(s) will be directly funded by the Home Office to Purchase drug treatment and testing services. Funding arrangements for the period of national implementation will be decided on in the light of experience in the pilot stage.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many local pilot projects for drug treatment and testing orders he intends to undertake; and how long he expects them to last. [23122]
§ Mr. George HowarthThe drug treatment and testing order will be piloted before national implementation, but a final decision on the length and number of the pilots has yet to be taken.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide an analysis of his estimate of the cost of the local pilot projects for the Drug Treatment and Testing Order. [23120]
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§ Mr. George HowarthThe Home Office will provide direct funding of £1 million for the pilot project(s), which will include the cost of evaluation. It has been broadly estimated that the average cost per order could be around £6,400, but the validity of this estimate will of course be tested during the pilot phase.
§ Mr. ClappisonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects drug treatment and testing orders to be available as sentences for courts throughout England and Wales. [23119]
§ Mr. George HowarthNo firm date has yet been set, but I would expect it to fall in the financial year 2000/2001.