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Mountain Rescue Teams

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been brought against people who have assaulted members of a mountain rescue team sent out to rescue them in the last five years. [196872]

Paul Goggins: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Ms Maliheh Sadeghi Bourojerdi

Mr. Byers: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what grounds he is seeking to appeal against the determination of the Immigration Adjudicator promulgated on 17 September in the case of Ms Maliheh Sadeghi Bourojerdi; and if he will make a statement. [192684]

Mr. Browne [holding answer 26 October 2004]: A copy of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate's grounds of appeal to the Immigration Appeal Tribunal in this case were sent to my right hon. Friend on 19 October.

Multi-agency Public Protection Arrangements

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) probation officers are employed in monitoring high-risk offenders under the multi-agency public protection arrangements; and how many are engaged (i) full-time and (ii) part-time in these duties. [143393]

Paul Goggins: The Criminal Justice Act 2003 strengthened and extended the statutory responsibilities of the police, probation and the prison service in each of the 42 areas of England and Wales in respect of multi-agency public protection operational demands of this work there is no centrally collated information that allows arrangements (MAPPA). While police and probation areas are responding to the us to determine precisely how many staff from each agency are currently deployed. Within the national probation service there are currently 4,770 trained probation officers able to supervise high-risk offenders, though it is not possible to establish how many are specifically engaged in this activity at any one time.

Murder Law Review

Mr. Savidge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to change the law on murder, with particular reference to the partial defence of provocation in domestic homicide. [195300]

Paul Goggins: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced in a statement to the House on 28 October that the Government is setting up a review into the law on murder. This follows publication in August of the Law Commission report 'Partial Defences to Murder' (Law Com No 290) in which they identified the need for a fundamental review. Full terms of reference will be announced in due course.

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the proposed review on the law of murder announced on 28 October will apply to Scots criminal law. [196248]

 
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Paul Goggins [holding answer 4 November 2004]: Yes. The review will look at the law in England and Wales. The criminal law in Scotland is devolved. But we are, and will remain, in touch with the Scottish Executive to ensure they are fully aware of the review.

Murder/Manslaughter Charges

Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been charged with (a) murder, (b) attempted murder and (c) manslaughter in England and Wales this year. [193566]

Paul Goggins [holding answer 26 October 2004]: Statistics on the number of defendants charged with an offence are not collected centrally.

However, the latest available information on the number of defendants ¹ proceeded against at magistrates' courts, England and Wales, 2002 is:

¹ These data are on the principal offence basis.

Murder	713
Attempted murder	465
Manslaughter	112

Statistics for 2003 will be published in November.

National Offender Management Service

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional resources will be made available to the Probation Service in the event of its incorporation within the National Offender Management Service. [172841]

Paul Goggins: Under the National Offender Management Service, the allocation of additional resources to the Probation Service remains subject to the normal Spending Review and Home Office departmental planning round processes. My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary recently announced that the total number of probation staff would be increased by 1,800 over the next two years.

Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will convene job specific selection boards for the posts of (a) human resources director and (b) director of standards for the National Offender Management Service. [175829]

Paul Goggins: Both Director posts have been filled, in accordance with Civil Service procedures, by Home Office officials who are in the equivalent grade.

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people will be employed by each regional offender manager during (a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06; and what the overall cost of those staff will be. [190118]

Paul Goggins: The number of staff to be employed by the Regional Offender Management Service (ROMS) have yet to be determined. Offender managers, currently employed by probation areas, will support the ROM for their region.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the business case on the creation of the National Offender Management Service will be published. [194741]

 
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Paul Goggins [holding answer 8 November 2004]: The draft detailed business case is currently being prepared and will be completed shortly.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether there has been a Gateway Zero Review in respect of the National Offender Management Service. [194742]

Paul Goggins [holding answer 8 November 2004]: The pre Gateway Review was carried out during the summer and the Office of Government Commerce have been asked to perform a "Gateway Review 0-Strategic Assessment". We are still considering the most appropriate timing for this.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many responses to the National Offender Management Service consultation documents issued in (a) January and (b) May favour the concept of contestability. [194743]

Paul Goggins [holding answer 8 November 2004]: There have been two formal written consultation documents issued on the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) since January 2004. Over 400 responses were received in total. These responses have given very strong support for the vision behind the establishment of NOMS—namely the bringing together of prisons and probation to enable more effective management of offenders.

Respondents were not asked to express their support or otherwise for contestability and indeed many did not do so. More detailed analysis of this issue is included in the Government's response, announced to Parliament on Tuesday 26 October.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he will take to increase the (a) confidence and (b) morale of (i) Probation and (ii) Prison staff in the National Offender Management Service. [194744]

Paul Goggins [holding answer 8 November 2004]: The National Offender Management Board recognises the importance of engaging prison and probation staff in the introduction of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). The Government's two consultation exercises on NOMS, the responses to which were announced to the House on 26 October, demonstrate a commitment to open and inclusive dialogue.

A Joint Consultative Council, to which all recognised prison and probation unions and staff associations have been invited, will provide a forum for consultation on NOMS-related issues affecting members of staff. The JCC will meet for the first time in November.

The NOMS Change Programme includes a Human Resources and Organisational Development Sub-Programme, specifically intended to create a sustainable organisation and culture at the heart of NOMS.

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when job descriptions for Regional Offender Managers under the National Offender Management Service arrangements will be published; and if he will make a statement. [194776]

 
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Paul Goggins: I set out the key roles to be undertaken by the Regional Offender Managers in my written ministerial statement of 20 July 2004. It is not current practise to publish individual job descriptions.

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will (a) be responsible for and (b) speak on behalf of the National Probation Service under the National Offender Management Service arrangements. [194777]

Paul Goggins: Martin Narey, Chief Executive of the National Offender Management Service, is responsible for the National Probation Service. Appropriate officials will speak on behalf of the National Probation Service depending on the issues involved.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a business plan has been drawn up for the National Offender Management Service. [196703]

Paul Goggins: The case for the establishment of the National Offender Management Service is outlined in Patrick Carter's independent report "Managing Offenders—Reducing Crime" published along with the Government response "Reducing Crime—Changing Lives" on 6 January 2004. A draft business case is currently being prepared.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms will be put in place to measure the effectiveness of the National Offender Management Service. [196706]

Paul Goggins: The main aim of the National Offender Management Service is to reduce re-offending. There is a rolling programme of research to evaluate the impact of individual programmes. In addition, specific targets are set for the individual services within the National Offender Management Service, for example on the rate of escapes from prisons and escorts. These are published in the services' Business Plans and progress against the targets is published in their Annual Reports.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what risk assessment has been carried out on the consequences of (a) workers from across the Home Office, Prison and Probation Services and (b) stakeholders, with particular reference to (i) unions and (ii) hon. Members not being fully engaged and committed to the implementation of the National Offender Management Service; and what the results were; [197170]

(2) what risk assessment has been carried out on (a) the possibility of staff numbers and competencies falling below acceptable levels in front line services in the National Offender Management Service, (b) the complexity and scale and scope of the overall change programme of the National Offender Management Service and (c) the possibility of a high profile incident or industrial action in the National Offender Management Service; and what the results were in each case. [197171]

Paul Goggins: As part of the process of setting up the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), a comprehensive risk management strategy has been established, providing for the assessment, monitoring and managing of risks across the Change Programme.
 
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Risk assessments have been carried out in detail and at strategic level across the Programme. The results have been agreed with the NOMS directors and reported to the NOMS board and to other governance bodies within the Home Office. In keeping with normal practice across Government, it is not intended to publish the findings of these assessments.

The assessments cover all aspects of the Programme, including policy, implementation, people and process issues. The risk registers are continually updated as the Programme evolves and the risks change.

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the role of the market in the work of the National Offender Management Service. [162831]

Paul Goggins [holding answer 24 March 2004]: The role of the market in the work of the National Offender Management Service is based on the principle that best quality and best value for money in the supervision, punishment and care of offenders will be achieved by ensuring that services are opened up through competition to all potential providers.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the job description for regional offender mangers in the National Offender Management Service will be published. [198027]

Paul Goggins: I set out the key roles to be undertaken by the Regional Offender Managers in my written ministerial statement of 20 July 2004, Official Report, column 17WS. It is not current practice to publish individual job descriptions.

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans there are for the public sector prison service to become self financing under the new National Offender Management Service structure. [168835]

Paul Goggins: The public sector prison service is financed from funds voted by Parliament and delegated to the Director General by the chief executive of the National Offender Management Service. It also receives funds for education, health care and juvenile establishments from Department for Education and Skills (DfES), Department of Health (DoH) and the Youth Justice Board (YJB) respectively. Plans to introduce commissioning of places in public sector prisons are currently being developed as part of the Correctional Services reforms.

Mrs. Ann Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will be responsible for setting the categorisation of prison establishments under the National Offender Management Service. [168782]

Paul Goggins: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has responsibility for monitoring the size and composition of the prison population, and for planning to meet overall need. Security arrangements for the categorisation of prisoners are being managed within the Prison Service on behalf of NOMS.

Security related decisions about the use of prisons include input from operational and security staff, property managers, estate planners and the senior management of NOMS. If a significant change in the
 
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function of a prison is proposed the good practice described in the Prison Services' Agency framework is followed and ministers are advised.

Through the changes brought about by the implementation of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 and NOMS the focus on public safety and security will be maintained.

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