Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Justice

Oral Answers to Questions

Tom Brake Excerpts
Tuesday 29th March 2011

(13 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Crispin Blunt Portrait Mr Blunt
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I agree with the hon. Lady about the importance of addressing the issue of domestic violence. Every probation trust I have visited has had programmes to address it. It is a particular priority and we will want carefully to examine the delivery of interventions and programmes to ensure that they are sustained. I accept that that is an area of priority.

Tom Brake Portrait Tom Brake (Carshalton and Wallington) (LD)
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What help can the Minister give to probation trusts to enable them to compete on a level playing field with the large private sector contractors that might be doing a lot of the work they are currently doing?

Crispin Blunt Portrait Mr Blunt
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I think that my hon. Friend is referring to the competition for community pay-back. The first competition will be for the London area, where the boundaries overlap precisely with those of the London probation trust. That will give those probation trusts that need to get together to make a collective public sector bid involving a number of trusts the time and opportunity to put an effective bid together.