HC Deb 18 December 2001 vol 377 cc239-40W
Mr. Bercow

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on progress towards the Public Service Agreement target for the number of offenders completing accredited programmes in the community. [17069]

Beverley Hughes

Encouraging progress has been made so far towards the Service Delivery Agreement target (30,000 offenders completing accredited offending behaviour programmes in the community by 2003–04—including 6,000 drug-related programme completions).

Nine offending behaviour programmes have been awarded full accreditation, and two have achieved provisional accreditation. All probation areas are now running accredited general offending programmes, and roll out of other accredited programmes is continuing. It is however too early to provide meaningful figures on the actual numbers of completions.