§ Mr. Damian GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to extend to the rest of England the provisions of the Kent County Council Act 2001; and if he will make a statement. [159720]
§ Ms BlearsIn line with Clause 20 of the Kent County Council Act, the council will be submitting a report on the working provisions of the Act to the Secretary of State no later than 1 December 2004, which will then be laid before Parliament.
The Home Office has also commissioned the University of Kent to evaluate the effectiveness of the legislation and we will also lay a summary of the results of this research before Parliament.
These two reports will allow the government to make an informed decision as to whether we should pursue similar legislation nationally.