§ Mr. HopeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the outcome was of the consultation on the appointment of a joint Chief Inspector for Prisons and Probation. [138537]
§ Mr. StrawAs I announced on 9 June 2000,Official Report, columns 392-93W, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons Sir David Ramsbotham's appointment was extended until the end of July 2001 when Sir Graham Smith, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Probation, is also due to retire.
In response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for the Forest of Dean (Mrs. Organ) on 27 July 2000, Official Report, column 879W, I told the House that I had established a consultation exercise to gauge public opinion on proposals, including the option of a joint Chief Inspector, designed to ensure that the Inspectorates of prisons and probation support closer working between the two services while maintaining the independence and rigour of the inspection process. The consultation exercise ended on 31 October. Copies of the responses to the consultation exercise will be placed in the Library.
A majority of those consulted favoured some change—establishing terms of reference for the inspection of joint working between the criminal justice agencies and the sharing of inspectors between the Inspectorates. In contrast, only small minorities were in favour of the status quo, or of the appointment of a joint Chief Inspector for prisons and probation.
During the consultation exercise a helpful scheme was put forward by Her Majesty's Chief Inspectors of Constabulary, the Crown Prosecution Service, Magistrates' Courts, Probation, and Prisons to inspect practice across their boundaries systematically. This scheme has much to recommend it and the consultation exercise also suggests that it will command broad support. It is therefore the option which I propose to pursue, along with the arrangements canvassed in the consultation exercise for bringing the work of the Inspectorates closer together.
Both Sir David and Sir Graham have made significant contributions to raising standards in the prison and probation services respectively, and I am grateful to them for their work. In view of the retirements in July next year I shall be advertising both Chief Inspector posts in the New Year.