Justice

Andrew Selous Excerpts

Wednesday 21st January 2015 Ministerial Corrections

The following is an extract from the Westminster Hall debate on the Probation Service on 13 January 2015:

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Andrew Selous)]

All the existing expertise of our fantastic public sector probation staff is still there in the system. Most people are working at the same desk, doing the same job as before. That is highly valuable. I should point out that the report of Her Majesty’s inspectorate of probation goes up to September last year, and there have been significant improvements since then on a lot of the issues that Members have quite properly raised. To give just one example, the rate for completion of the risk of serious recidivism report within two days is now at 80%, which is a significant increase. We have every confidence that that figure will carry on increasing, and I hope that that reassures Members.

[Official Report, 13 January 2015, Vol. 590, c. 242WH.]

Letter of correction from Andrew Selous:

An error has been identified in the response I gave to a point raised in the debate by the hon. Member for Stretford and Urmston (Kate Green).

The correct response should have been:

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Andrew Selous)]

All the existing expertise of our fantastic public sector probation staff is still there in the system. Most people are working at the same desk, doing the same job as before. That is highly valuable. I should point out that the report of Her Majesty’s inspectorate of probation goes up to September last year, and there have been significant improvements since then on a lot of the issues that Members have quite properly raised. To give just one example, the most recent figures show that 82% of cases are allocated within two working days after sentence and the risk of serious recidivism assessment is recorded as completed in 80% of cases, which is a noteworthy increase. We have every confidence that that figure will carry on increasing, and I hope that that reassures Members.