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There were 30 notified decisions to recall between 29 June and 5 July. The most common reason for recall was the offender being out of touch with their supervising probation officer, with 11 (37 per cent.) of recalls being for this reason.

Any prisoners falling into the following categories are excluded from release on ECL:

Registered sex offenders, whether or not they are currently serving a sentence for a sexual offence.

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Prisoners serving sentences for serious violence as specified in Prison Service Instruction 27/2007.

Prisoners who have previously escaped from custody.

Prisoners who have previously breached temporary release conditions during the current sentence, have offended during a period under temporary release at any time, or prisoners currently serving a sentence for failing to return from temporary release.

Prisoners who report that they do not have a release address.

Foreign national prisoners who will be subject to deportation at the end of their sentence.

Prisoners who are subject to extradition proceedings.

Sentenced prisoners who have been remanded into custody on further charges or who are awaiting sentence.

Prisoners who, within the period of their current sentence, had been recalled either from HDC or from normal licence.

Prisoners under the age of 18.

Prisoners serving DTO sentences.

Prisoners required to undertake a treatment programme as a condition of the normal (end of sentence) supervision licence that could not be arranged during the period of ECL.

The data presented in this statement are drawn from the prison administrative IT systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. While the figures shown have been checked as far as practicable, they should be regarded as approximate and not necessarily accurate to the last whole number.

Prime Minister

Chief Surveillance Commissioner

The Prime Minister (Mr. Gordon Brown): Further to the written statement made by my predecessor, the right hon. Tony Blair, on the Chief Surveillance
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Commissioner’s annual report, 14 July 2006, Official Report, column 91WS, I have today laid before both Houses the annual report for 2006-07 by the Chief Surveillance Commissioner, the right hon. Sir Christopher Rose. I am grateful to the Commissioner, and his office, for this report and the work that has gone into preparing it.

Work and Pensions

Financial Assistance Scheme

The Minister for Pensions Reform (Mr. Mike O'Brien): On 23 April, the Government launched a review to examine whether an alternative treatment of the residual funds in affected pension schemes could supplement the committed Government funding of the Financial Assistance Scheme.

Andrew Young of the Government Actuary’s Department is leading the review. It is being advised by a panel of leading external experts who provide support across a wide range of specialist and technical areas.

I am pleased to advise the House that Andrew Young today published the review’s interim report. A copy is in the House Library. In this interim report the review team concentrate on identifying:

the value of assets in FAS schemes, their ownership and stewardship;

potential uses of these assets and whether there are options to increase value;

other non-tax sources of funding; and

the key issues related to solvent employers.

The report will be available on the Department’s internet site later today. The review team would welcome comments on any aspect of this report. They plan to consult key stakeholders further over the summer and will be delivering a final report by the end of 2007.

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