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11 Jan 2005 : Column 319W—continued
National Offender Management Service
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the National Offender Management Information Project will be the subject of a Gateway Review. [199999]
Paul Goggins: A Gateway 1 Review (business justification) was undertaken this autumn.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a Gateway Zero Report was (a) commissioned and (b) completed at the launch of the National Offender Management Service in January. [200010]
Paul Goggins: The pre-Gateway Review was carried out over the summer. The "Gateway Review 0-Strategic Assessment" will commence on 17 January 2005.
Dr. Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment has been made of the implications of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 for the National Offender Management Service. [200468]
Paul Goggins: Procedures have been put in place to ensure that the National Offender Management Service is fully compliant with the Freedom of Information Act when it comes into full force on 1 January.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library the responses to the consultation on the National Offender Management Service. [200930]
Paul Goggins: There have been two formal consultations about the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) since January 2004. The first followed the publication of "Reducing Crime—Changing Lives", the Government's response to Patrick Carter's review of Correctional Services; the second was in connection with the proposed organisational design of NOMS.
In accordance with the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Consultation, a summary analysis and response has been prepared. It was announced to Parliament on Tuesday 26 October and is available in the Library of each House. It has also been made available to staff and key stakeholders through the prisons, probation and Home Office websites.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the duties of regional offender managers in the National Offender Management Service for each region in England and Wales. [201403]
Paul Goggins: The job specifications and selection criteria for the recently appointed Regional Offender Managers were contained in the information pack sent to prospective candidates. A copy of that information pack has been placed in the House of Commons Library
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Gateway Zero inquiry into the National Offender Management Service will be completed. [201438]
Paul Goggins:
The Gateway Zero Review is scheduled to commence on 17 January 2005. It is expected that it will be completed within a week.
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Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Probation Service Pay and Rewards Review and the Workload Measurement Tool will be implemented before the full introduction of the National Offender Management Service. [204962]
Paul Goggins: I remain committed to the early implementation of a negotiated, affordable, modernised pay and reward structure for the National Probation Service (NPS).
The workload measurement tool (WMT) is currently being piloted with the possibility of a third metropolitan area joining the pilot. Decisions about the implementation of the workload measurement tool across the NPS will not be taken without determining that the tool is "fit for purpose" in relation to the requirements of orders imposed under the Criminal Justice Act. The project will be the subject of a full financial appraisal and a detailed business case will need to be established. This current phase of work is scheduled for completion by April 2005.
The Probation Boards' Association and the NFS' trade unions are all represented on the WMT's Project Board and are aware of the time scales associated with the project.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what local infrastructure will exist for the proposed public sector interventions arm of the reformed Probation Service in England and Wales under the National Offender Management Service proposals. [204971]
Paul Goggins: It has always been our intention to split Offender Management and Interventions within the National Offender Management Service. A final decision on the appropriate organisational structure for the public sector provision of interventions has not yet been made.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department will be producing a business case which will explain how contestability will improve service delivery in relation to reducing offending and reducing the numbers in custody. [204973]
Paul Goggins: The detailed Business Case which is currently being developed will include a full explanation of all aspects of the contestability process.
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether sentencing practice will be changed prior to the implementation of the National Offender Management Service. [205315]
Paul Goggins:
Sentencing practice will change through the work of the Sentencing Guidelines Council and the implementation of the Criminal Justice Act 2003. The Council is responsible for producing comprehensive guidelines for all courts, which will provide clarity and consistency in sentencing. The Council was established in March 2004 and its first priority was to produce guidelines on the provisions in the Criminal Justice Act 2003. These were published on 16 December.
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Advisory Board on Naturalisation and Integration
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) names and (b) occupations of the members of the Advisory Board on Nationalisation and Integration; and what the remit is of the Advisory Board on Naturalisation and Integration. [204470]
Mr. Browne: The Advisory Board on Naturalisation and Integration (ABNI) is an advisory non-departmental public body. Its terms of reference are:
To advise on the implementation and processes of initial and final assessment of understanding of language and of civic structures as required by the Nationality Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.
To advise on ways in which language and citizenship education resources and support services both in the public and in the voluntary might be developed and better co-ordinated.
To advise on future development of the programme of studies and suggest changes in light of feedback from early participants.
To publish an annual report on the administration of the learning and teaching processes involved in naturalisation, on the integration of immigrants, and on immigration law and procedures and educational regulations that directly affect assessment for naturalisation.
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