Probation Service (Hansard, 19 December 2003)

§ Mr. Oaten
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change will be in(a) the National Probation Service and (b) the National Probation Directorate financial settlement for 2004–05. [141801]

§ Paul Goggins
A final decision about the budget for the National Probation Service, including the National Probation Directorate for 2004–05 has not yet been made.
106W

§ Mr. Oaten
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the(a) Warwickshire, (b) Dorset, (c) Suffolk, (d) Norfolk and (e) Gloucestershire probation areas will receive less money in real terms during 2004–05 after performance-linked penalties and central recharging are taken into account. [141803]

§ Paul Goggins
A final decision about the budget for individual areas within the National Probation Service has not yet been made. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) deflator set by the Treasury is 2.5 per cent. for 2004–05. It is not expected that any of the above mentioned probation areas will have an increase in their main resource allocation of less than the GDP deflator, after performance-linked penalties and central recharging outside the control of the local areas are taken into account.

§ Mr. Oaten
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on failed IT projects in the Probation Service in each year since 1994. [141804]

§ Paul Goggins
The National Probation Service Information Systems Strategy (NPSISS) ran from 1994 to 2001 and was the subject of a National Audit Office (NAO) report. A full breakdown of the cost of NPSISS can be found in the NAO report published on 26 April 2001, HC401 Session 2000–01. While the NAO identified significant weaknesses with the management of NPSISS, particularly in the development of the case record and management system, (CRAMS) they did not conclude that the project had 'failed'. As a result of NPSISS, 38 out of which 42 Areas were linked to a network which enabled them to communicate electronically between themselves as well as with the Directorate and other parts of the Home Office.
The National Probation Service was formed in April 2001. Prior to that date individual Probation Services undertook local IT projects. It is not possible to confirm whether the anticipated benefit of each scheme were achieved.