§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the cost to public funds of the National Probation Service information system. [43121]
§ Beverley HughesA full breakdown of the costs of the National Probation Service information systems strategy can be found in the National Audit Office report published on 26 April 2001, HC401 Session 2000–01.
§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the business benefits derived from the introduction of the National Probation Service information system strategy. [43119]
§ Beverley HughesThe National Probation Directorate will conduct a post-contract review of the National Probation Service information systems strategy (NPSISS) contract which will include consideration of benefits delivery to the Service.
I can say in advance of this review that the qualitative benefits to the National Probation Service (NPS) resulting from NPSISS include; the introduction of a network infrastructure which covers 38 of the 42 probation areas; the ability for electronic communication between these areas, the Directorate, Her Majesty"s Inspectorate of Probation and the Research and Statistics Unit; and the deployment of Lotus Notes across the Service. In addition this technology has given probation staff the opportunity to develop information technology skills providing the NPS with a computer literate workforce.
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§ Mr. GrieveTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many National Probation Services accredited programmes have been completed, broken down by probation area. [42790]
§ Beverley HughesThis information is compiled on a quarterly basis. Figures for the first three quarters of 2001–02 (the most current information available) are:
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Area Completions (core programme) West Midlands Staffordshire 4 Warwickshire 3 West Mercia 11 West Midlands 106 Regional Sub-Total 124 North-east County Durham 77 Northumbria 243 Teeside 82 Regional Sub-Total 402 Eastern Bedfordshire 37 Cambridgeshire 24 Essex 88 Hertfordshire 18 Norfolk 37 Suffolk 28 Regional Sub-Total 232 North-west Cheshire 23 Cumbria 27 Greater Manchester 158 Lancashire 166 Merseyside 74 Regional Sub-Total 448 East Midlands Derbyshire 36 Leicestershire 30 Lincolnshire 24 Northamptonshire 20 Nottinghamshire 18 Regional Sub-Total 128 Yorkshire and Humberside Humberside 29 South Yorkshire 20 North Yorkshire 11 West Yorkshire 86 Regional Sub-Total 146 South-east Hampshire 50 Kent 36 Surrey 52 Sussex 19 Thames Valley 99 Regional Sub-Total 256 South-west Avon and Somerset 109 Devon and Cornwall 29 Dorset 24 Gloucestershire 17 Wiltshire 19 Regional Sub-Total 198 London total Total 353
Area Completions Area (core programme) Wales Dyfed-Powys 9 Gwent 13 North Wales 12 South Wales 15 Regional Sub-Total 49 England and Wales Total 2,336