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11 Nov 2009 : Column 494W—continued
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects the Patel Report on prison drug treatment to be published. [297367]
Maria Eagle: Professor Lord Kamlesh Patel was appointed to chair the Prison Drug Treatment Strategy Review Group (PDTSRG) in April 2008. The group first met in February 2009 and a two-year programme of work was agreed in April 2009. A report with recommendations will be produced by the end of March 2011. A decision has yet to be taken on publication of the final report.
Prisons: Inspections
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 20 October 2009, Official Report, columns 53-4WS, on temporary transfer of prisoners prior to inspection, whether the cases have been referred to the police for investigation under Prison Service Order 1300; and if he will make a statement. [298916]
Mr. Straw: The disciplinary investigation found no evidence of any criminal offence which would have warranted referral to the police for investigation. Had it done so, the police would have been asked for advice, and possible action.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 20 October 2009, Official Report, columns 53-54WS, on temporary transfer of prisoners prior to inspection, if he will place in the Library a copy of the report of the investigation into allegations of transferring vulnerable prisoners when the investigation is concluded; and if he will make a statement. [298921]
Mr. Straw: It is not Ministry of Justice policy for the contents of disciplinary investigations to be made public. It would therefore not be appropriate to place in the Library a report into disciplinary issues affecting individuals, even when the investigation and resulting disciplinary proceedings are complete.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 20 October 2009, Official Report, columns 53-54WS, on temporary transfer of prisoners prior to inspection, (1) to whom the investigation into the allegations will report; who will decide on any disciplinary action to be taken if warranted; and if he will make a statement; [298923]
(2) for what reasons he did not decide to hold an independent inquiry into the allegations; and if he will make a statement. [298924]
Mr. Straw: The disciplinary investigation reported to the Director of Offender Management for London. The disciplinary process is currently overseen by the Chief Operating Officer of the National Offender Management Service.
Once the Chief Inspector of Prisons made the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) aware of allegations of temporary transfers, an internal investigation, conducted by a senior Governor from another NOMS geographical area, was commissioned. As the investigation was into matters for which operational experience was essential this was an appropriate course of action.
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 20 October 2009, Official Report, columns 53-54WS, on temporary transfer of prisoners prior to inspection, whether any Prison Service staff have been (a) suspended and (b) placed on detached or alternative duties whilst the disciplinary investigation is carried out; and if he will make a statement. [298935]
Mr. Straw: No members of staff have been suspended. One member of staff was placed on alternative duties, but has now resumed his substantive post.
Prisons: Manpower
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made as to the number of (a) former prison workers and (b) former prisoners who retained passes or keys to prison premises on leaving their employment or imprisonment in the last three years. [295762]
Maria Eagle: The issue of security keys in prisons is subject to careful monitoring with reconciliation and checks undertaken regularly. Stringent procedures are in place to ensure security keys are returned by all staff each time they leave prison establishments. Any failure to return security keys or taking them outside of the prison is considered a serious breach of security. This risk will be assessed and could result in a full or partial re-lock of the prison where it is felt that the key suite has been seriously compromised.
Measures for the reconciliation of security passes are described in Prison Service Order 1205. Staff are required to hand in their security passes to the identified pass co-ordinator on leaving the employment of the National Offender Management Service. The pass is then destroyed as security waste and the original pass application annotated accordingly. Data on the number of staff who failed to return their passes on leaving employment are not held centrally.
Prisoners are not issued with security keys or passes to prison premises. They may have access to courtesy locks on cells, but such keys do not form part of the security suite keys.
Prisons: Wales
Mr. David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what tests were carried out on the soil of the former Dynamex site at Caernarfon to assess its suitability as a location for a prison; [293851]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009, Official Report, column 349W, on Friction Dynamex: asbestos, what his latest estimate is of the likely cost of asbestos remediation on the former Dynamex site in Caernarfon. [293852]
Maria Eagle: In May 2009 NOMS' consulting engineers, as part of the due diligence process, produced an environmental report on the former Dynamex site in Caernarfon in order to assess potential liabilities and constraints associated with ground contamination. The exercise included a review of existing reports which were based on previous tests on the soil. This evidence formed the basis of the assessment rather than carrying out further soil tests.
The site contains a number of contaminants, including asbestos. The due diligence report estimated the total cost of demolition and remediation so as to make the site suitable for prison development to be around £10 million. Of this sum, a substantial element is related to asbestos-related remediation.
Probation
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what services probation staff are to be required to deliver in order to meet efficiency requirements. [297263]
Maria Eagle: In line with Government policy across the public sector, probation boards and trusts are expected to meet efficiency requirements in order to maximise the value for money that they provide. These are focused on reducing back office functions and management overheads and maintaining the priority given to resourcing front-line delivery. Boards and trusts are being supported by a national programme of specifying probation work and of benchmarking performance and cost to set clear standards for delivery and remove unjustified variation in costs. This programme, together with the intelligent use of probation work load data, enables local areas to manage the demands placed on individual staff more effectively.
The Specification, Benchmarking and Costing Programme in NOMS has already identified a number of operational efficiencies. One such example is the change in balance between standard and fast delivery reports provided to courts. This process has supported areas in prioritising the delivery of front-line services while maintaining the excellent standard of work probation staff do to protect the public and reduce reoffending.
Probation Officers
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (1) qualified probation officers there were in (a) West Mercia and (b) England in each year since 1997; what the equivalent figures are expected to be in the next five years (i) in total and (ii) as a percentage of the total staff numbers in the Probation Service and National Offender Management Service; and if he will make a statement; [297597]
(2) staff who were not qualified probation officers were employed by the Probation Service and National Offender Management Service in (a) the West Mercia probation area and (b) England in each year since 1997; how many such staff are planned to be employed in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement; [297599]
(3) members of staff at management grades there were in the Probation Service and National Offender Management Service (a) nationally and (b) in the West Mercia area in each year since 1997 (i) in total and (ii) as a percentage of the total number of staff; what the projected equivalent figures are for the next five years; and if he will make a statement. [297601]
Maria Eagle: The information requested is currently being collated and I hope to be in a position to write to the hon. Member by the end of November.
Responsibility for resourcing levels ultimately lies with each probation board or trust as they are the employers of probation staff. It is for them to take the action necessary at a local level to ensure they can deliver the required service within available resources.
The Probation Service's budget for 2010-11 has just been announced and once this money has been allocated
to directors of offender management they will agree with each probation board and trust how that money is to be used.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many (a) managerial staff, (b) qualified probation officers and (c) other staff there have been in the Probation Service in each of the last 10 years; [297628]
(2) what the ratio of qualified probation officers to offenders was in each probation area in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement; [297598]
(3) what the ratio of qualified probation officers to non-qualified probation staff was (a) nationally and (b) in the West Mercia area in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement; [297600]
(4) how many (a) offenders under Probation Service supervision and (b) qualified probation officers there were (i) in England and Wales and (ii) in West Mercia (A) in each of the last 10 years and (B) in the latest period for which figures are available. [297295]
Maria Eagle: The information requested is currently being collated and I hope to be in a position to write to the hon. Member by the end of November.
Probation: Finance
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the proposed budget for West Mercia Probation Service is for 2010-11. [297268]
Maria Eagle: The total budget for the National Probation Service for 2010-11 financial year is £870 million and the 2010-11 budget for West Mercia will be announced before the end of the year.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) what the planned budget of the Probation Service is for each of the next three years; [297627]
(2) what his proposed budget for each region of the Probation Service is in each year to 2014-15. [297267]
Maria Eagle: No budgets are set outside of the current comprehensive spending review period. The 2010-11 budget for probation was announced on 29 October by the Secretary of State for Justice as £870 million. This shows an increase on indicative budgets issued for planning purposes of £26 million.
Probation: Manpower
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) managers, (b) qualified probation officers and (c) unqualified probation officers there are in the West Mercia Probation Service. [297264]
Maria Eagle: The current position for managers, qualified probation offices and unqualified probation offices in West Mercia are as follows:
153-Probation officers.
111-Unqualified probation officers, including probation service officers, community punishment officers and trainee probation officers.
68-Managers of all grades.
The Probation Service's budget for 2010-11 has just been announced and we expect this money to be used to support front-line services. The additional funding will be targeted to increase confidence in the community penalties and divert low-risk offenders from short-term custody. Directors of offender management will be required to negotiate specific service improvements with individual boards/trusts which will be incorporated in SLAs/contracts for 2010-11 to ensure that this additional funding is targeted on front line delivery. Detailed work will be undertaken by directors of offender management with areas/trusts to agree additional service delivery requirements and finalise individual allocations.
The overriding priority for the Probation Service is public protection which will not be put at risk. Probation areas are looking to make any required savings through back office and management rationalisation and improvements in efficiency and processes, protecting front-line delivery.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many qualified probation officers there are in the Probation Service. [297265]
Maria Eagle: On 30 September 2008 there were 7,884 full time equivalent (FTE) professionally qualified Probation Officers(1) up to middle manager level(2) in the Probation Service. In addition, there were also 944 FTE Trainee Probation Officers going through the qualification process at that time.
A significant proportion of staff above middle manager level(3) also hold a professional qualification having progressed through the service to senior manager level. However, collating and compiling this information would incur disproportionate costs as it would require all 42 Probation Areas/Trusts to be contacted individually to ask for this information.
(1) Includes Senior Probation Officers, Senior Practitioners, Probation Officers and Practice Development Assessors.
(2) Middle Managers are those who manage front-line operational staff.
(3) Chief Officer, Deputy Chief Officer, Assistant Chief Officer and Area/District Manager.
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many full-time equivalent staff the Probation Service employed in each of the last five financial years; and what estimate he has made of the number of staff to be employed in each of the next three years. [297168]
Maria Eagle: The following table shows the total number of staff in post in the probation service for 2004 to 2008.
Staff in post figures for 2009 are currently unavailable.
Over the five-year period, the overall staff in post in the Probation Service has increased by 8.4 per cent., with the number of qualified probation officers increasing by 4.4 per cent.
Responsibility for resourcing levels ultimately lies with each probation board or trust as they are the employers of probation staff. It is for them to take the action necessary at a local level to ensure they can deliver the required service within available resources.
The budget for 2010-11 has just been announced and once this money has been allocated directors of offender management will agree with each area how that money is to be used.
As no final decisions have been taken on budgets for subsequent years, it is not possible to provide information for 2011-12 and 2012-13.
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