---

21 Mar 2005 : Column 583W—continued

Civil Servants

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether ex-offenders will be eligible for employment by the National Offender Management Service. [220448]

Paul Goggins: Ex-offenders are eligible for employment in the National Offender Management Service, although they may be required to declare any convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

National Offender Management Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the National Offender Management Service will be taking to ensure that the prisons and probations work force will be diverse, competent and professional, as described in the NOMS Vision Statement. [218197]

Paul Goggins: The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) Chief Executive, Martin Narey, is committed to place diversity at the heart of NOMS. A permanent diversity impact assessment process will be in place and a NOMS race and diversity strategic
 
21 Mar 2005 : Column 584W
 
framework is being developed that will be aimed at not only ensuring compliance with legislative requirements, but at also promoting best practice in diversity across NOMS.

Planning has begun on the creation of a learning and development strategy for NOMS. Working closely with Skills for Justice (the Sector Skills Council for the justice sector) and regional probation training consortia, this strategy will identify new learning programmes and qualifications needed to support the development of NOMS.

As the offender management model is now being developed, a particular priority is to define the occupational standards and competencies needed to undertake this critical new role, and hence to develop supporting learning programmes.

The Prison Service and National Probation Service are also developing proposals for an integrated approach to leadership and management development for managers across NOMS. An early output has been the creation of an induction and development programme for the 10 Regional Offender Managers.

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will publish the detailed business case for the National Offender Management Service. [220541]

Paul Goggins: We have already published Patrick Carter's independent report Managing Offenders—Reducing Crime", which sets out the case for a National Offender Management Service, and the Government's response Reducing crime—Changing Lives" which accepts that case.

A separate business case for the National Offender Management Service is currently being prepared.

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2005, Official Report, column 1421W, to the hon. Member for Walthamstow, on the National Offender Management Service, which regional offender managers will be responsible for each probation area in 2005–06; and whether the Prison Service budget for 2006–07 will need to be agreed unanimously by regional offender managers. [221136]

Paul Goggins [holding answer 10 March 2005]: The Regional Offender Managers were appointed to cover geographically the nine government areas and Wales. Their remit covers all the probation areas within their region. The prison service budget for 2006–07 will be agreed by the Director General of the Prison Service and the Regional Offender Managers.

Polish Workers

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the numbers of Poles working in the UK. [222336]

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.

The latest Labour Force Survey for autumn 2004 estimated there were approximately 69,000 Polish nationals in employment in the United Kingdom.
 
21 Mar 2005 : Column 585W
 

Prison Officers

Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison officers have been medically retired in each year since 1997 due to work-related stress. [203365]

Paul Goggins: No information is available on the number of officers granted medical retirement specifically due to work-related stress. The following table contains information on the total number of prison officers, senior officers and principal officers granted medical retirement since 1998 for any reason, within public sector establishments. Information on medical retirements is not available for 1997. The Office for Contracted Prisons does not collect information on medical retirements as privately managed prisons are not contracted to supply this information.

	All officers medically retired
1998	217
1999	195
2000	162
2001	147
2002	142
2003	171
January-October 2004	89

There has, generally, been a fall in medical retirements since revised eligibility criteria were introduced in 1998 through changes in the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Prisoners (Mental Health)

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will estimate the percentage of prisoners in England and Wales who suffer from mental health problems. [220681]

Paul Goggins: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) undertook a survey of mental ill health in the prison population of England and Wales in 1997. A copy of the survey is available on the ONS website at www.statistics.gov.uk.

Comparable information for Scotland may be obtained from the Scottish Executive. While the institutions in Northern Ireland are devolved, responsibility for such information rests with Ministers in the Northern Ireland office.

Prisons

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) proportion and (b) total number of prisoners' initial test results under the mandatory drug testing programme have subsequently proved inaccurate in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [218818]

Paul Goggins: This information is not held on the central Mandatory Drug Testing database.

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of prisoner rehabilitation programmes. [220924]

 
21 Mar 2005 : Column 586W
 

Paul Goggins: The Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate (RDS) has recently published a review of the impact of corrections on re-offending (Home Office Research Study 291). The report, including references, is available on the RDS website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds.

Probation Service

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether performance by the National Probation Service against its performance measure on enforcement improved (a) during 2003–04 and (b) between April and September 2004. [203407]

Paul Goggins: The performance of the National Probation Service (NPS) in meeting its target for enforcement in 2003–04 and April to September 2004 is set out in the following tables.
Table 1: Enforcement by month April 2003–March 2004—England and Wales Percentage

Month	Breach action taken within 10 days
April 2003	72
May 2003	71
June 2003	73
July 2003	74
August 2003	78
September 2003	75
October 2003	79
November 2003	80
December 2003	81
January 2004	78
February 2004	82
March 2004	84
Total	77

Table 2: Enforcement by month April to September 2004—England and Wales Percentage

Month	Breach action taken within 10 days
April	84
May	85
June	82
July	86
August	84
September	87
Total	85

The results for the half-year to September 2004 show an improvement of eight percentage points on those for 2003–04. This is very encouraging and continues the upward trend of recent years: in 2001–02 enforcement stood at 53 per cent. rising to 64 per cent. in 2002–03 and again to 77 per cent. last year. The NPS is now closer than ever to achieving its enforcement target of 90 per cent. and I am optimistic that the 85 per cent. achieved in the first six months can be increased by the end of 2004–05.

---