Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeremy Wright and Andrew Jones

Tuesday 18th December 2012 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

Will the Secretary of State ensure that charities and voluntary organisations can continue to provide their services for the rehabilitation of offenders?

[Jeremy Wright]

I can certainly give my hon. Friend that assurance. We want to encourage the good work that is already being done by a large number of voluntary and community sector organisations to provide the expertise that all hon. Members want incorporated into the rehabilitation revolution. Yes, we want to see more of that.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Jeremy Wright and Andrew Jones

Tuesday 13th November 2012 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Jones]

I have seen work done in my constituency as part of community sentences tackling projects that would otherwise not have been done, thus benefiting communities and, in particular, reinforcing the merits of work. Does my hon. Friend have any plans to extend the element of work in community sentences?

[Jeremy Wright]

As I said, we will ensure that, whenever a community order is passed, the sentencer will impose at least one element of punishment. That is what the public would expect. One element of punishment could be community work of the sort my hon. Friend described. It is important that there is a good channel of communication between the community and the organisations within it, and the probation service and those administering community payback in order to ensure that the work is done where people want it done.

--- Later in debate ---

[Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)]

T4. Does my right hon. Friend have plans to use the opportunities provided by new technology in tracking offenders?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Jeremy Wright)]

Yes, we do. It will be important to consider the opportunities that GPS-based technology, in particular, gives us in the monitoring of offenders not just to enforce elements of a community order, such as an exclusion order, but to act as a deterrent for those offenders who might be minded to reoffend.