Oral Answers to Questions

Martin Caton Excerpts

Tuesday 31st January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Dave Watts (St Helens North) (Lab)]

10. What steps he plans to take to maintain public safety when implementing his plans for the future of the Probation Service.

[Martin Caton (Gower) (Lab)]

12. What steps he plans to take to maintain public safety when implementing his plans for the future of the Probation Service.

[Toby Perkins (Chesterfield) (Lab)]

13. What steps he plans to take to maintain public safety when implementing his plans for the future of the Probation Service.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

No one enjoys listening to the Secretary of State more than I do, and I have been doing so for more than two decades, but we have a lot to get through, so economy is of the essence.

[Martin Caton]

There is a real fear both inside and outside the House that introducing a payment-by-results approach to our Probation Service risks denying adequate rehabilitation support to those with the most complex needs. What will the Secretary of State do to mitigate that risk?

[Mr Clarke]

I think that it is key to public service to concentrate on what we are delivering that is of value to the people we are trying to serve. Focusing our resources on programmes that succeed in reducing the reoffending rate, thereby reforming former offenders and ensuring that they do not create future victims of crime, will help us to ensure that we secure value for money, and will also stimulate innovation and best practice. I think it very reactionary to suggest that we should abandon the payment-by-results approach.