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Home Office

Answer

Mr. Pond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to improve arrangements for the strategic management of the prison and probation services and for future complaints arrangements for the two services. [128072] Mr. Boateng: We think it right to recognise the substantial and growing overlap in the work that both services perform as we pursue our drive to reduce re- offending through proven and well-targeted programmes and re-settlement planning as set out in the correctional policy framework which we published last year. We have established a new strategy board for correctional services, chaired by myself as the Minister with responsibility for prisons and probation, to advise the Home Secretary on giving strategic direction for the prison and probation services. This replaces the prison service strategy board. We will make formal amendments to the framework document of the Prison Service in due course. We have also decided to extend the prisons ombudsman's remit to cover probation services. This joint ombudsman will be created initially on an administrative basis, as with the prisons ombudsman, but we plan to legislate as soon as practicable. We are giving careful consideration to what the ombudsman's terms of reference should be. We shall make a further statement to Parliament in due course.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

128072; 352 c467W

Session

1999-00

Subjects

Complaints Administration Prisons Probation Standards HM Prison Service Prisons Ombudsman

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk